Watarimono's Tale
by The Mother Rose
Summary: Tsunade calls a friend to come to town to help deal with some issues that have arisen. OC
1. Chapter 1

Watarimono's Tale

Chapter One

A woman in a dusty cloak stopped briefly on the trail just out of sight of the gates. "Jiyuu, Rakki come on now. We're almost there."

"Hai, Kaa-san." From further down the trail the two small girls stepped up their pace and soon appeared next to their mother. She checked each girl carefully before moving ahead.

As they came in sight of the gate a Chunin called out, "Halt. What is your business here today?"

Without a word the woman held out her papers. The Chunin took them and turned to his fellow after a brief examination. "Go tell the Hokage her guests have arrived." Turning back to the travelers he said, "You may rest here for a moment while my compatriot finds out where you are to go now."

"If you read the papers then you know I am to report directly to her upon my arrival, young man," said the woman. "I will take my daughters to the tower now."

"I'm sorry but even though that is what your papers claim you are to do it goes against my orders. I am to keep new visitors here until the person or persons they have come to see arrive to personally escort them into the village."

One of her daughters sat down where she was as the other daughter stepped in front of the woman. "Kaa-san, it seems they have had some recent trouble here." A quirk of her brows and a small frown asked the young man guarding the gate, "Is this true? Has there recently been trouble here?"

"It is not my place to speak of it but yes. Our instructions have been altered as a result of recent happenings. Please just wait here for the Hokage to send for you."

"Alright." The woman took a seat on the ground next to her daughters in the shade of the wall. They waited for about ten minutes before Shizune showed up to collect them.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Lady Tsunade is this way," she said.

"It's ok, Shizune. How have you been?" The woman and her daughters stood and moved off with Shizune. Shizune laughed. "There's a lot that has changed for Lady Tsunade and I but somehow nothing ever really changes for us. I'm still chasing around after her trying to get her to do as she should. And you, Wata? How have you been?"

"I've done good since we last saw each other. You remember my daughters? This is Jiyuu and that is Rakki." As she spoke she placed a hand on Jiyuu's shoulder and pointed with the other to Rakki. Both girls smiled and gave a short bow to Shizune.

"Of course I remember them. How could I forget them? They made it possible for you to take your name. Besides I helped Lady Tsunade bring them into this world."

Wata, as Shizune called her, smiled. "Yes that was a very blessed day for me. Otokooya couldn't deny me my freedom once these two made their way into the world."

"That's something I don't understand. If he thought that you brought him luck why wouldn't he think they would increase it two-fold?"

"Because if you'll remember when they were born they didn't have the green eyes they have now. They had their Daifu's eyes. He thought that if they were meant to increase his luck then they would have been born with my eyes."

Shizune shook her head. "I'm sorry but that's just stupid. Everyone knows eye color changes as babies grow. Anyway here we are." She led the way inside the tower and up the stairs to Tsunade's office where said woman was arguing with Jiraiya, her long-time partner and friend.

"You can't take off now so just quit trying to come up with excuses to leave. I need you here and Naruto needs to stay put for a bit also. He needs time to visit with his friends."

"Tsunade, you know it isn't safe for him here. He needs to keep on the move."

"No Jiraiya. He's staying here for at least a month."

"A month! Gees, woman. Do you want the Akatsuki in here that bad? If they catch up to him you know he won't stand a chance against them and if they find him here a lot of people are going to die. Let me get him back on the road. For everyone sake."

"In the last week I have had visits from everyone of the rookie nine and their sensei's asking for time off from missions when Naruto gets here. They all want to renew their friendships with him and I think it's important for him to know that they haven't forgotten him. I also know that since he got here yesterday he has barely had any time to sleep as they are all wanting to show him how much stronger they have become." She fixed Jiraiya with a steely glare. "You are not leaving with him again this week. Get used to the idea and get out of here. You aren't protecting him from here."

Jiraiya sighed and gave in. "Alright Tsunade. We'll stay for the week but I think it's a mistake." Under his breath he added, "The boy has more enemies inside the village walls than he does outside of them and that's saying something." He hadn't intended for anyone to hear that comment but Wata did.

"Which boy are you two discussing? And why does he have more enemies in town than out?" she asked.

Jiraiya and Tsunade just now noticed her and her questions were forgotten as Tsunade practically flew across the room to envelope her in a massive hug. "Wata, you're here. Welcome to the Leaf. Does this mean you'll take up my challenge?"

"Hmm. We'll see. If I do decide you have a case worth my time there are concessions I want from you Tsunade." She paused as she looked the woman over. "A lot of concessions."

"Oh I have no doubt you will find a lot of work here in the Leaf. It seems like there hasn't been a person of your talent here for a very long time."

Jiraiya asked, "And just what talent would that be?" His eyes held hearts as he took in the beauty of her face. The hearts grew and drool began to drip from his mouth as Wata removed her dusty travel cloak.

"Jiraiya get your mind out of the gutter. This is my friend Wata and she is a Shinrigakusha. I asked her to come here to help a few of our more notable persons out with their problems." Jiraiya quirked a brow and waited. She sighed and said, "Team 7 to be precise. That's why I'm not letting you take Naruto out of town now."

"Your letter sounded intriguing, Tsu, but it didn't really explain exactly what they need help with you know," said Wata. Then to Jiraiya she said, "Hello, Jiraiya-san. I am Watarimono and these are my daughters, Jiyuu and Rakki."

Wanderer, Freedom and Lucky huh. Why do I have the feeling those aren't your real names, Jiraiya thought. There's a mystery here and I think I'll pass my time in town solving it. Wata didn't miss the contemplative look and hid a smile. She knew what he was thinking but she also knew no one knew her name in this town and Tsunade wouldn't tell him her family name without permission.

"Anyway Wata, I've had a place prepared for you but I wasn't sure where to put your office. I could give you space here or in the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with chapter two of the lucky wandering freedom trio. Hope you enjoy and if you don't get the gist of the story yet I hope it's all clear by chapter's end. **

**WORDS I USED**:

**Watarimono Wanderer**

**Jiyuu Freedom**

**Rakki Lucky**

**Kaa-san Mother**

**Otokooya Father**

**Daifu Father**

**Shinrigakusha psychologist**

**Gomen sorry**

**Chapter Two**

**The Next Day: Early Morning**

Wata showed up at Tsunade's office at six in the morning. She took a seat on the couch along the wall and did her best to make herself invisible when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," called Tsunade, signing one last request for funds from a villager.

The door flew open and a blur of orange and yellow propelled itself across the room before coming to a stop leaning on Tsunade's desk. "Baa-chan, I'm here. Please don't say you have a mission for me already. I just got home," cried an exuberant voice.

Tsunade bopped him on the head and to a loud cry of "Ow" said, Don't call me that, Gaki. And use your inside voice. My ears are still ringing from your last visit and that was six months ago." She rubbed her ears.

"Naruto! You know better. She's Tsunade-shisune or Lady Tsunade," said a pink-haired girl also hitting him across the head. "Learn some manners and get off her desk."

"Hn," said the black-haired boy shooting a look full of kunai at the girl. Apparently he didn't like her much. Or maybe it was the fact that she had hit the other boy he didn't like.

"Sasuke, call her off," screamed the blond.

Wata noticed Tsunade also didn't look pleased over the girl hitting the blond. Hmm interesting she thought. Then her eye fell on the last person to have entered the room. Silver hair, One eye on his orange book and the other covered by his hitae. "Kashi," she exclaimed. Both her daughters looked up from where they were playing a card game, their eyes drawn to where their mother was looking.

Kakashi took one wide-eyed look toward the voice and vanished. "Oh no..." was all anyone in the room heard before Wata vanished also. The two girls chuckled and went back to their game.

Tsunade smiled and looked at the three teens in front of her desk. "You can go now."

"Huh?" exclaimed Naruto. "You call us here bright and early and then don't even say anything to us. What's going on?"

"He does have a point, Lady Tsunade," said Sakura. Sasuke just stood still and looked at her.

"Well, I didn't call you here for a mission or anything. My friend Wata wanted to meet you but since she left there's no point in the three of you continuing to stand here.

"Ummm, Why did she react to Kakashi-sensei like that?" asked Sakura.

"And why'd he vanish as soon as he saw her?" asked Naruto.

"Not your business, Gaki. Now get out of here and let me get back to work."

After they had left she laughed and said to the twins, "So that's who your Daifu is huh?"

Jiyuu looked up and said, "Guess so. Kaa-san told us he was a great ninja and that he was the only person who ever got away from her."

Rakki laughed and added, "He got away from her more than once too. No one has ever done that before."

"He doesn't know about us though. Last time they saw each other he slipped out while she was sleeping. He didn't know we were coming and that was why she was sleeping so much," said Jiyuu.

Tsunade frowned for a moment and then said, "Well, he's been a bachelor for too long anyway. Time he settled down."

Jiyuu and Rakki looked at each other in surprise. As one they turned to Tsunade and said, "Don't you think you'll have to convince Kaa-san to settle down first?"

Tsunade twinkled. "Your Kaa-san will settle down here. Once she sees how many people there are in this village who desperately need her kind of help she won't be able to walk away. We just have too great a need for her." She sighed and murmured, "I wish we didn't but Kami help us we do." Outloud she said, "Come on. Let's go get some breakfast." She stood and held a hand out to each of the girls and together they left her office and the tower.

Once they were seated at the outdoor café Tsunade had taken them to, Jiyuu said, "Why'd you let that girl get away with hitting the boy?"

"Because he's used to it. He'd think it odd if I called her on it now when she's been doing it for years and no one has ever told her it's wrong. Besides I hit him also."

"But it is different for you than it is for her," said Rakki as Jiyuu nodded. "You like him and you only hit him cause he called you Baa-chan. She hit him to impress you and the other boy."

"You know for six year olds you two are pretty smart."

Rakki smiled. "We do go everywhere Kaa-san goes and follow her as she does her job. Be kind of hard to miss picking up on the signs she looks for that tell her who to help when. Don't cha think?"

"But you should know the other boy didn't like her hitting the blond either," said Jiyuu.

This took Tsunade by surprise. "You mean Sasuke?"

Jiyuu took a bite of her pastry before replying, "The dark-haired boy, yeah. He gave the girl a look that said he'd like to hit her."

"Now that's interesting," said Tsunade.

"Why?" asked a new voice. Watarimono took the last seat at the table and greeted her daughters.

"Did you catch him Kaa-san?"

Watarimono shook her head."He gave me the slip by some park. Too many people were around but now that I know he's here I'll catch him yet. By the way Tsu, I accept the job offer."

Tsunade smiled and murmured, "I figured you would though I'd hoped it be because of the villagers more than Kakashi."

Watarimono twinkled. "Oh believe me he needs help too. But you were saying it was interesting that the dark-haired boy was upset over the girl hitting the blond boy. Explain that."

"The dark haired boy is Sasuke. The girl is Sakura, my apprentice and the blond is Naruto, the demon vessel. Very few people in this village have ever treated that boy right and it's mainly for him that I asked you to come here. I've been back here for five years now and from the things I've heard said and seen done whenever he's in town, I know he can't be as happy as he makes himself out to be. That much bad treatment has got to have caused him to build up a considerable amount of rage. Yet he never acts angry. Not once have I seen him angry over his treatment here." She paused to take a breath and consider her next words.

"But what does that have to do with Sasuke's reaction to Sakura's actions?"

"Sakura has always hit Naruto. Ever since their academy days and Sasuke has never shown any emotion one way or the other over it. Not only that but a lot of people here don't believe the boy has any feelings at all. He claims himself to be an Avenger and is seriously trying not to have any emotions that could get in the way of his goals. Yet the three of you claim you saw emotion in him this morning."

Watarimono considered what she'd just heard. "Well, I'll help the children but you will help your apprentice learn better manners. If I see her hit anyone again to impress you I will tear a strip out of her hide."

"Where would you like to set up your office? And when would you like to meet with them?"

"That's not how I work and you know it. I'll do my reports at home but I work best in their natural environment so I don't need an office. Just get the girls into school and let me be." They talked for a few more minutes before Tsunade excused herself to get back to work. Of course Shizune standing on the sidewalk tapping her foot had a lot to do with that decision.


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR NOTE**

**Hi everyone. This is my first fan fiction so I hope you'll be patient as I try to figure out how to get my words loaded onto the site. For some reason chapter one did not completely load so I had to put the definitions at the beginning of chapter two. Please submit a review if you want to and I'll try to figure out how to access those as well.**

**Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Naruto. However Watarimono and her daughters are mine and mine alone.**

Chapter Three

Meeting the Team

Watarimono took her girls to the village school and then wandered around the village for a couple of hours. She was watching as the vendors and residents went about their daily lives. She was also listening to what they said when they encountered each other.

"Did you hear the news?" she heard a man say to another as he swept the walk in front of his stand.

"Hear what?" asked the second man.

"He is back. I wish the council would hurry up and get rid of him."

"That's not so easy with him being a favorite of the Hokage you know. Besides the boys' not so bad," responded the second.

"Not so bad! Who are you trying to kid? Wasn't all that many years ago he killed my daughter."

The second man gave him a pitying look and moved off. Watarimono walked on. Everywhere she roamed she heard similar conversations. It seemed to her that the people of the village were almost equally divided in their opinion of this boy they all talked about. She wondered if this was the same boy Tsunade wanted her to crack. Eventually she found herself down by the training grounds and with delight she saw Kakashi reading that stupid orange book. Or at least pretending he was reading it. She already knew he never really read while he was in public. She sat down and watched as the two boys were going at it in the open area of the field.

"Come on Naruto. Is that all you got today? What's wrong with you Dobe?"

"Grrr...," screamed the blond as he ran full speed at the brunette. "I'll show you." A ball of pure energy formed in his right hand and suddenly Kakashi was in between them. Then she noticed the crackling energy in the other boys hand.

"Ouch," she thought. "That would have hurt both of them if they'd connected." She couldn't hear what Kakashi was saying to them but both boys looked down and mumbled something before turning away from each other. Then the blond looked up and yelled, "I'm hungry. Last one to Ichiraku's has to buy." And he took off.

"Naruto! I didn't dismiss you yet," yelled Kakashi.

"And I don't want any stupid Ramen today," said Pinky, as Watarimono called her. She knew her name from Tsunade but so far she just didn't see any reason to give the chit that much respect.

"Ah Sakura-chan. Why not? Ramen is so gooood," whined Naruto.

"Sasuke, will you go to lunch with me today?" simpered Pinky.

"No. Naruto, are you broke again?"

"Welll...um kindof," Naruto put one hand to the back of his neck and gave Sasuke a sheepish grin. "Jiraiya-sensei came by last night and took my gama-chan again."

Kakashi's eye widened. "So you haven't eaten yet today?" he asked.

"Well I was gonna go shopping yesterday but I didn't have the time. Everybody kept stopping by and with everything they wanted me to see it just kindof slipped out of my mind. But now I'm really hungry."

"Let's go then," Sasuke smirked. "No wonder you were hitting like a girl today Dobe." He crossed the field to stand next to Naruto.

Pinky looked down for a minute before she too crossed over to the boys. Kakashi was about to join them when he noticed Watarimono. His visible eye nearly popped as he said, "I just remembered I got somewhere I need to be." But before he could vanish she grabbed his arm.

"Uh-huh Kashi. This time you aren't going anywhere til I say so," laughed Watarimono.

Kakashi gulped as his genins looked on, puzzled. "Go have lunch, kids. I'll join you as soon as I can."

Naruto shrugged and led the way to Ichiraku's Ramen stand. Once the kids were out of sight Watarimono let go of Kakashi's arm and sat down.

"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked her sitting next to her. She had placed a compulsion on him when she had touched him so that he wouldn't take off the minute she let go. It wasn't a strong compulsion but she had some things to say to him and he always ran as soon as he saw her.

"I'm here because Tsunade sent me a letter saying my talents were needed here. Something about saving the next generation of Sannin from themselves. Sounded interesting and I needed a place for the girls to go to school anyway so I came."

"Girls?" You have kids?" Kakashi asked.

Watarimono laughed. "If you hadn't taken off so fast yesterday you would have seen them. They were there in the office when you came in with your team."

Kakashi tried to remember the people in the office but truthfully he had seen noone once he had seen her. All he could think was to get out of there as fast as he could. "Well, I'm not in line to become a Sannin so why are you chasing me?"

"Actually I didn't chase you. I was wandering around, getting a feel for this place and I just happened to get lucky. Your team was here so since they are the next Sannins I sat down to watch their interaction with each other. You being their Sensei is a complete bonus and yes I am going to keep on you until I have convinced you to drop that stupid mask."

Kakashi frowned. "My mask is a part of me. It isn't going away. I told you that when we first met."

"And I told you it's just a shield between you and the rest of the world. A shield you don't need." She sighed. "You have to quit hiding, Kashi. You'll never be all you're supposed to be until you do."

"I'm not hiding," he said turning his head away. He heard her snort next to him but didn't look back.

"Then take it off. There's no one here but me and I have seen you without it before you know."

He shook his head as he stood up. "I'm going to go meet the kids. Since you're supposed to be working with them don't you think you should meet them?"

She stood up and together they left the training ground. She'd tell him more about her girls later when he was ready to hear it. Right now he just needed to get comfortable having her around again.

They arrived at the ramen stand just in time to hear Pinky going off on Naruto for his lack of manners. "Do you have to eat like an animal? Gees. Slow down. The Ramen isn't going anywhere," she sneered. To Sasuke she complained, "Why do we even have to be here with him? He's such a pig!"

Sasuke didn't even look at her. Instead he watched as Naruto polished off his bowl and called loudly for another after getting a slight nod from him. Sasuke would pay for about fifteen bowls for him knowing Naruto would fight better with his belly full and the only way for him to get stronger was for him to fight Naruto. To Teuchi he held up a napkin with the number 15 written on it. It was a pre-arranged signal between them to let Teuchi know when Naruto was wearing out his friend's ability to pay his bill. So far he had consumed five bowls while Sakura refused to eat even one and he was slowly coming to the end of his first bowl.

Sakura had hoped that if she raised a big enough stink about Naruto's lack of manners while eating Ramen Sasuke would take her to a different place leaving the baka behind to pay his own bill. After all it was his own fault for not getting any food and for giving his wallet to Jiraiya-sensei. But Sasuke showed no signs of being willing to leave the baka.

Watarimono walked in ahead of Kakashi and they both took seats next to Naruto. "Watch out for flying noodles," said Sakura sarcastically. "You're sitting next to the biggest Baka Pig in town."

Naruto ignored her and kept eating his ramen. Sasuke's eyes tightened a little but he said nothing about her own lack of manners. Watarimono took note of both reactions. She knew Naruto had heard and noted Sakura's comments but he cared more for eating right then than he did for answering her. Instead of replying to the girl she raised an eyebrow at Kakashi waiting for him to call his pupil on her own behavior. Kakashi got her point.

"Sakura, there's no need to be rude. Everyone who comes here knows Naruto enjoys his ramen so there is no need for you to be warning anyone."

Sakura tilted her head to the side and looked thoughtfully at the woman who had come in with Sensei. "Aren't you the woman who was in the Hokage's office yesterday?"

"Yes I am."

"So therefore you are new in town?"

"Well I am new in town but I fail to see how my being in the tower yesterday pointed to that conclusion."

"Because before that time I never saw you and I know everyone in this village. And since you are new here you wouldn't know how much the Baka loves these noodles and so therefore my warning you was not rude at all. Isn't that right Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi went to answer her when Watarimono held up her hand. He subsided and listened as she took over. "First off, your comment was not needed as if you'll open your eyes and actually look around you will note that Naruto never spills a drop of his beloved ramen. That would be a waste of food and he doesn't waste food. Do you Naruto? Second, you called him both an idiot and a pig to a complete stranger. Both very rude comments for anyone to make to another person but especially rude if said person does not know the individual involved as both names can cause said stranger to form an incorrect image of the so- named person. Third, if you want people to respect you than you should first show them that you yourself are capable of being respectful to others. Your comments did not do that and therefore you are not at this time worthy of my respect, Pinky."

Sakura was not the only one to have her mouth hanging open by the time Watarimono finished telling her off. Sasuke had taken in her words and quickly looked down at his now empty bowl hiding his small smile. And Kakashi turned to look at the far wall of the small food shack. He knew he was going to get an earful from Mrs. Haruno if Sakura told her about this incident. That woman saw nothing wrong with anything her daughter did but especially not if said doings involved Naruto. However it was Naruto's reaction that surprised everyone the most.

"You... You defended...me," he whispered. His big blue eyes were as wide open as they would go and shining with unshed tears. Kakashi turned back at the same time Sasuke looked up. Both looked at the pure shock on Naruto's face. "No one has ever stood up for me over that before." Naruto was still talking in a near whisper.

"Well, then it's about time someone did. You don't deserve to be talked about like that by someone you are supposed to trust your life to. If she's this rude to you when you are sitting right in front of her, why would you ever believe she'll even try to save your life let alone watch your back?"

Naruto shrugged. "Everyone talks to me that way. Well, most people do," he amended. "But I don't rely on her to watch my back anyway. That's Teme's job. I watch his back and give him a good fight and he watches mine and gives me the same. And both of us protect her. Right Teme?"

"Hn," said Sasuke. "She's annoying."

Watarimono looked at Pinky. She had been angry while Naruto was talking but when Sasuke dismissed her as being of no value to the team she looked down at the floor. Surprisingly Naruto had seen the hurt on her face and he added, "She's our medic. She's not supposed to fight. Not her fault that I have a natural healer. Come on Teme. Let's go fight some more. Thanks for lunch Ojii-san."

He and Sasuke quickly left the shack with Sakura following behind them. Watarimono looked to Kakashi and said, "Just what have you been teaching those kids Sensei?"


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S Note:**

**I don't own Naruto but Oh how I wish I did.** **Then my boys would be going to a good school rather than a public one. sigh Oh well... I had a public education too.**

**Review if you see something to comment on. Review if you think this needs to continue. Review if you think I should give it up and go clean my house. **

**Chapter four**

Naruto and Sasuke spent the afternoon in sparing while Sakura sat on the grass watching them. She was ready to heal either of them if they should get hurt but Naruto's words at the Ramen stand were true. He didn't need her to heal him at all and he was usually pretty careful not to hurt Sasuke enough to where she would need to heal him either. She knew he didn't mean to imply she wasn't needed on the team but that's still what she heard. She wasn't needed by either of them and she knew it. That's why she had gone to Tsunade-sishou for training. It wasn't like she would ever learn anything from Kakashi-sensei. After all, even Naruto had gone to a different Sensei to learn new moves. Only Sasuke-kun stayed with only Kakashi for his training. Well, that wasn't true. Even though he was the only one of them that Kakashi-sensei had been willing to really teach Sasuke-kun had left and gone to the Snake Sannin for more training. He had eventually killed the Snakeman when Orochimaru had become too persistent on gaining his body for himself. Sasuke-kun had got tired of telling him no and killed him. But he had come home and done his pennance for leaving and gone right back to Kakashi-sensei for more training.

Mostly these days the two boys sparred in the open field while she and Kakashi kept an eye on them. There really wasn't any teaching going on at all. They all knew it wouldn't be long before Jiraiya-sensei took Naruto away again so they were just basically killing time and renewing their bonds.

Kakashi came and sat down near her and she cast a quick glance at him.

"You ok Sakura?"

"Hai, Sensei. She was pretty rude and mean but she doesn't know me so it doesn't matter what she thinks."

Kakashi looked at her then. He really looked at the pink haired girl sitting in the grass twiddling her thumbs. "You think it doesn't matter when someone not only tells you you're rude but tells you why they think so?"

"Well, it'd be different if she knew what she was talking about or if she even knew who she was talking to. But she didn't so her opinion doesn't matter. I know I am not rude and I know Naruto is an ill-mannered Baka. So therefore her words were untrue. Lies don't bother me at all."

"Sakura . . ." She turned to face him and he continued. "She wasn't wrong. You were rude and you were wrong. Naruto may eat fast but he never makes a mess. She is never wrong when she voices an opinion of a person. It's her job."

"What!" Sakura jumped to her feet furious at her sensei. "How dare you defend that woman! She was rude to me. I was only warning her to watch where she sat because Naruto is a pig when he eats. It would have been rude not to warn her and let Naruto spill his noodles on her nice outfit." She was shouting now and breathing hard. Her grass green eyes flashed with the intensity of her feelings.

"Naruto when was the last time you spilt your ramen?" Kakashi calmly asked.

"Gosh Sensei. I don't know. Not for a long time. I think I quit spilling them when I learned how to outrun kunais."

"You see, Sakura? He doesn't spill his noodles. Ever. As she told you. That would be a waste of food and Naruto would never waste ramen."

Sakura was beyond pissed and turned on her heel. She stormed off towards the Hokage's tower. Kakashi watched her go for a minute. "Be right back boys," he said as he vanished.

He popped up in front of the Hokage's door and knocked quietly. "Come in."

"Lady Tsunade Sakura should be here momentarily. She's ticked cause Watarimono told her off this afternoon. It was justified but Sakura doesn't think so. Got to go now. The boys are sparring." He cast the teleport spell again and showed back up at the training field.

"Ok Guys, had about enough for the day?" He asked. Both boys just looked at him. "Come sit down. There's something we need to discuss." He waited while the boys sat down on the grass.

"The woman who told Sakura off today will be hanging around for awhile. The Hokage asked her to come to town and check out the mental well-being of our ninjas. So she will be talking to all of us from time to time and watching our practice matches. When we do missions here in town she might show up but I don't think we'll be getting any out of town ones while she is here."

"You know her don't you sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah I first met her about ten years ago while I was running a message mission for the third. Then I met her again a few years later while on another mission."

"Why do you think she said those things to Sakura?" He asked apparently not noticing he left off the chan suffix he generally applied to her name.

"Dobe," Sasuke said.

"Don't call me that. But what does it matter what Sakura says to me or about me. I mean, at least she notices me."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke and Sasuke shrugged. Sasuke understood that for Naruto any attention was better than none at all. And he knew Naruto didn't really know the difference between positive attention and negative. At least not when it came to words. Kakashi closed his eye briefly and then looked closely at Naruto. It was clear the boy really didn't understand why Sakura had gotten told off.

"Naruto, I know that for you it seems that so long as someone is talking about you or to you, you think it's ok but there's a right way and a wrong way to talk about people. Sakura was talking about you wrong and worse she was doing it in front of you. You're supposed to be her friend and friends don't talk about each other that way."

"But...Shouldn't we," He indicated himself and Sasuke. "have stood up for her then? I mean isn't it our job as her friends to defend her as well?"

From behind them Sakura herself spoke up. "Yes you should have. You should have told that ol' busybody to bugger off."

Sasuke entered the conversation. "No, Dobe. We acted appropriately. We defend her if her life is in danger and we protect her from unfair attacks but that was justified."

"So you think people should just be allowed to slander me whenever they feel like it Sasuke-kun? What about my mental well-being? Doesn't that count as needing to be protected also?"

Sasuke snorted and turned his attention back to Kakashi. "So what are we supposed to do when she comes around?"

"Ignore the rude oba-chan," said Sakura. "That's what my Mother said. And by the way, Sensei," she sneered. "Mother wants a word with you about how you let strangers talk to me."

Kakashi cast a glare at Sakura and shrugged. "You will treat Watarimono with respect. She is a Shinrigakusha of well-known repute and it would not do to get her upset with any of you. As far as your mother's concerned Sakura tell her to go whistle Dixie. You got spoken to exactly as you deserved to. Now training is over. Naruto I suggest you hunt down Jiraiya and get your wallet back before he empties it completely. I'll see you all here in the morning." He pulled his orange book from it's resting pouch and wandered off.

"Although I'm sure he's emptied it already I really do need to get Gama-chan back. See you guys." Naruto wandered off also. Sakura looked at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes waiting for him to walk her home. Sasuke didn't even notice as he headed off down the street towards the Uchiha district.

**Author Notes:**

**Review please. I really don't want to go clean my house but hubby says if I don't get some reviews soon than I have to quit writing and go do the laundry instead. _Runs off crying _**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note: **

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto. If I did my fingers would quit misspelling his name and I wouldn't have to keep hitting the backspace key.**

**Chapter Five**

**About Half an Hour Later**

Kakashi opened the gate to his apartments small yard and was surprised to see Watarimono waiting for him. He said nothing as he walked up to her. She stood up and moved aside so he could put his key in the lock and open the door. Then she followed him inside and waited as he put on a pot of water for tea and took off his Jonin jacket.

"So how did the afternoon go with the teens?" she asked as he finally turned to face her.

"Alright with the boys but I think it's fair to say you made an enemy in Sakura. She definitely didn't think you had any call to chew her a new one and she told her Mother about it so now I have that harrigan on my case as well. Just let me say in advance. Thanks a lot."

Watarimono raised her brows. "Thanks for what?"

"Because when Sakura's Mom gets done chewing me out for not defending her daughter's honor I won't be able to hear for at least a month. That woman is louder than Sakura and twice as shrill."

"Oh well, you're welcome." Watarimono laughed. "But tell me what did the boys think and what did they say?"

"Is it really that important?"

"You know it is. Just tell me."

"Well, Naruto really doesn't understand it at all but Sasuke did. I think he thought it was about time someone stepped on Sakura. Naruto thinks that maybe he and Sasuke should have defended Sakura from you but while Sakura agrees Sasuke said no."

Watarimono nodded her head thoughtfully as she considered what he said. The pot whistled and Kakashi busied himself making two cups of tea. "And you? Do you think Sakura was unjustly accused of rudeness?"

"No. At first I thought she was right but then when you pointed it out that Naruto never makes a mess while eating I realized it's just that he eats so fast we expect there to be a mess. I realized that never once no matter how many bowls I've seen him consume have I seen a mess at his chosen spot. Also if he truly were the pig Sakura called him his apartment would not rival Sasuke's for cleanliness."

"And the Baka name? Do you think that one fits? I noticed you said nothing about that." she moved to stand behind him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Leave my mask alone Watari. Naruto has done his level best to earn the title Baka. I'm not sure why but he seems to relish people calling him that. But only Sasuke is allowed to call him Dobe. I've seen both those boys turn on others for calling him that one."

Watarimono massaged his shoulders until he relaxed and then so swiftly he couldn't stop her she removed his mask. "I told you not to wear this when we're alone, Kashi. I gave you plenty of time to remove it." She held the mask on her hand before she blinked her eyes. When she opened them again the mask was gone and Kakashi was staring at her in dismay.

"It's on your laundry pile and there it will stay for now." She fixed him with a look that dared him to move. His hands clenched but he stayed put.

"Why?" He asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this? What does it matter to you if I wear a mask?"

"Because when people wear masks in public it means they have something that's hurting them inside. When I see the mask I have to try and help. You've been hurting for a long time and it's time someone helped you. Besides you'll never be who I see you as if you keep that mask on."

"And who says I want to be that person you see? What if I'm happy behind my mask?"

She gave him a look that said it all. She finished her tea. "I have to get home to my girls but I'll see you tomorrow at the training ground." She leaned over to give him a small kiss. It was supposed to land on his whiskered cheek but he turned his head and it landed on his mouth instead. He reached up with one hand and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

"I missed you, Watari," he said when they broke the kiss.

"Then why did you leave me? I'll see you tomorrow." She turned and left. He didn't see her smile.

Kakashi made himself dinner and then did his dishes. He didn't even think of putting his mask back on after she left. Instead as he cooked ate and cleaned up he thought of her parting question. Why had he left her? She had made him happy each time they had run into each other and he could have brought her back here with him. He knew she would have been welcomed as his mate if as nothing else but for some reason he had gotten scared and turned tail. He could admit it to himself. She frightened him like no one ever had before and he didn't know why.

Watarimono made her way from Kakashi's place to her own where she knew Tsunade was waiting with her daughters. Shizune would have already made them some dinner and knowing her she would have also gotten them working on their homework. She walked into her own home. At her kitchen table Tsunade sat toying with a plate of food obviously waiting for her.

"Well? What did he say?" Tsunade asked.

"First I have a question for you. How long has Kakashi been wearing a mask?"

"I don't know. I think he put it on shortly after his father died but it could have been a couple of years later or even before then. I never really thought about it," Tsunade answered her.

"I remember when he started wearing it," said Shizune. "It was right after his father died. The day he finally left his room after finding him. He's worn it ever since."

"That long? Gees. No wonder it so hard for him to take it off now." Tsunade gave her friend a close look and wondered what was up with her interest in Kakashi.

"You do know he wasn't who I called you here for," she said.

"And you should know me well enough to know that mask of his is like a red flag to an enraged bull. I have to work on it's removable. Besides my girls deserve it."

"You mean to tell me..." Tsunade looked to the back bedroom where the twins were working on their homework. "Kakashi ...?"

"You didn't know that, Tsu? I'm sorry I just thought when you sent me the letter to come here you knew." Watarimono apologized.

"He's never said a word since I came home to take on this stupid paper-pushers dream job. And I was away from the village for a long time before then. I mean I had left the village right after Orochimaru defected and never came back for any reason."

"Well, he doesn't exactly know either. He left before I could tell him and it worked out for the best this way. I found out after he left that my father would have demanded that he stay and take on the role as my consort if he had known. I never would have gained my freedom if he had stayed."

Tsunade looked back at her plate. "You know he's gonna freak when you tell him. I need a drink."

"No you don't. You're getting sober, Tsu. No more Sake and no more gambling. Remember our deal."

Tsunade gave her friend an evil glare and then sighed and nodded. "I remember. While you're here I don't drink anything stronger than tea and I don't gamble. How boring!"

"Hello Kaa-san. How was your day?" asked two young voices from the kitchen doorway.

"It was fine. And how was your first day of school? Did you meet any nice kids?"

"It was ok Kaa-san. Some of the kids tried to scare us with tales of a demon and they say there is a haunted estate here in the village also but I don't believe them," said Jiyuu.

Tsunade asked, "Demon huh? I wonder where they got that one from." She smirked.

"Well, they said that about twenty years ago or so one attacked here and the Hokage of the time killed it but it's spirit still haunts the village. They said their parents told them the demon has blond hair and likes the color orange," said Jiyuu.

"But that's just silly. Everyone knows you can't kill a demon for real. You just have to suffer through their attacks and wait for them to go away. Then you rebuild and hope they don't come back," added Rakki. "And as for a haunted estate why should a dead person hang around the living? They have loved ones waiting for them and it makes no sense for them to hang out where they can't interact."

"Are you sure they are only six?" asked Shizune.

Watarimono laughed and said, "Yeah they are. Big words I know but they are very smart girls and I've never talked down to them."

"Anyway Kaa-san we just came in to say good-night. Good-night Aunty Tsunade and Aunty Shizune." Both girls bowed and turned back to their bedroom.

After they were out of earshot, Tsunade asked, "Do they know who Kakashi is to them?"

"Yes they know. They figured it out yesterday when he took off as soon as he saw me." She giggled. "I never thought of myself as being that scary but he took off like the hounds of hell were on his tail."

Tsunade laughed also and said, "I swear I saw his face go whiter than normal too. But you better tell him soon. Although they look a lot like you with that dark hair and your green eyes it won't be long before someone figures it out and does it for you."

Shizune added, "Naruto for starters. That boys' mask is more complete than Kakashis' for all that is invisible to most people."

"That smart huh?"

"Let's just say he is the Grand Prank Master for a reason. Some of those pranks he used to pull were pure genius and showed an amazing amount of ability. I can't figure out why no one here ever recognized his brains before."

Tsunade sighed and said, "Just be glad they didn't. If they had then the Old-Man may not have been able to shield him from the council and we wouldn't have ever gotten to know him let alone me keep my promise to his father."

"Ok Now you're talking over my head. Explain yourself as best you can," said Watarimono.

"Here have some dinner while we tell you as much as we're allowed to about Naruto and why it's so important that you get his mask off. I realize you really want to remove Kakashi's but his is nowhere near as important as Naruto's," said Shizune.

"Ok. Talk away."

Tsunade started the tale. "Ever since I met him the boy has been unfailingly happy. I don't mean that he's just been in a good mood. I mean he's been bouncing off the walls happy. Like a kid at his best friends birthday party which I know by the way he has never ever been to a birthday party before in his life. I'd be surprised if he even knows when his own birthday is but if he does than it's probably due to the fact that he has to go into hiding on that day. Things have gotten better since we came to town but it still isn't anywhere near good enough for the joyously happy face he always presents to everyone. I know for a fact his place was broken into just last week and his furniture was trashed. Someone broke in and broke his furniture into kindling and what they couldn't break, they poured saki all over. He just hauled it all out and now he sleeps on the floor. Kakashi is looking for a new bed for him but it'll take time to find him one. As for the rest of his furniture well..." Tsunade spread her hands in frustration.

"He said nothing about it at all," Shizune picked up the tale. "We wouldn't have known anything about it except Sasuke saw him trying to go into the furniture vendors place and get chased back out. Sasuke found out when he followed Naruto back to his place and saw the scraps on the refuse pile. He forced Naruto to show him his place and then he came storming to us. Come to think of it, that's the angriest I've ever seen Sasuke. He was literally ranting over how we allowed Naruto to live in such squalor. Apparently there are big holes in his walls and windows as well as the ceiling."

"Well, that does raise an interesting question. Why was he living in such squalor? For two people who supposedly care for the boy to allow him to live like that doesn't speak very highly of either of you."

"All I can say is he never invited us over to his place so I honestly had no reason to believe his place was in such bad shape. There is so much to do being the Hokage but that is no real excuse. I knew how this village feels about him and the council also. I should have made it a point to check."

"Anyhow that's why when I was showing you around town I made a point of showing you where we shop. This village is pretty much divided by those who have grown to like Naruto and miss him when he's not here and those who hate him for what he holds inside and cheer when he's gone. The places we shop are those places where Naruto gets fair treatment. Where he doesn't get thrown out or overcharged for what he buys which is never the best they have. Naruto is a good kid but he has to be angry over the way he's been treated. Yet he won't show it. At all," said Shizune.

"I brought over his medical records. Since you are a doctor you are entitled to see them but if you were to ask for them at the Hospital they would try to make you get special permission from the council first. And that would give them time to tidy up the records before you saw them. You need to see exactly what this place has done to that Gaki," added Tsunade. She set a thick file folder down on the table and rose to her feet. "Come on Shizune. I'm sure there's still a mountain of paperwork I was supposed to get through today." She and Shizune left Watarimono to her nighttime reading.

Several hours later Watarimono closed the file. It was very hard to relate the young man she had met today with the boy described in these records but for brief moments she had caught a glimpse of him. Tsunade was right. The boy was wearing a mask. A very large and fragile mask that could break at any time. And since he did house a demon the breaking of that mask would spell disaster for who ever caused it to break. She prepared for bed trying to think how to go about getting him to remove it without breaking it. Not once as she lay waiting for sleep did her thoughts turn to Kakashi as was her normal routine. His mask just wasn't as dangerous as Naruto's.

**Author's Notes:**

**Ok I know this was a long chapter with a lot of boring back and forth but an author has got to lay the groundwork you know.** **Can't have much of a story without it you know...unfortunately. Once again Review and tell me if I should go back to just being a reader. I'm good at reading. Maybe good at writing too? Don't know. You tell me.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes: If you have an idea from seeing the show that you think I should add just make sure I'm not stealing from somebody else first and then tell me about it. Don't want to take credit for ideas someone else had first. But I'm too much of a parent to allow some of the behavior that goes on in this story.**

**Disclaimer: Here's the saddest part of all. I don't own Naruto. **

Chapter Six

Beginning her Job

The next morning Watarimono got her children off to school and then sat at her kitchen table contemplating how best to get through to Naruto. If, as the reports suggested, he'd been wearing the mask for a long time then first she would have to get him to recognize that he was wearing one. Only then could they begin to work on removing it. Tsunade was right though. If she could not get him to remove the mask himself he was going to remove it when no one was expecting it and then there would be hell to pay for anyone who had ever done him wrong. Once again she saw his expression when Pinky had been insulting him the day before. He definitely wasn't stupid and he knew she didn't like him at all. For most people what Pinky had said would be water off a ducks back but for someone like Naruto ... well there was just too much water running off that proverbial duck and it was gonna drown pretty damn soon if it didn't get out of the pond.

She stood up and fixed herself a cup of tea before going over the medical report one more time. His first hospital admittance was as a thirteen month old. He had come in covered in acid burns from a bath he'd been given at the Orphanage he lived in. He had acid burns over seventy percent of his body and was in the hospital for three days before they finally got around to changing the bandages. When they did he had new skin for each burn that was still tender and pink in color. He was sent back to the Orphanage only to come in again the next day with another bad burn and this time a broken arm. She noted each time he had been brought in by one Hatake Kakashi. Hmm. . . So at least he does care about the child. Or at least he used to.

Over the next several weeks it seemed like the child had done pretty well. At least there hadn't been any more hospital reports on him. The about two months after the broken arm Kakashi had once again brought Naruto to the hospital and the child had once again been admitted with third degree burns covering most of his body. Filed in adjacent to that report was one from the Hokage's office reporting the firing of a nurse for trying to smother Naruto in his sleep. Once again the complainer was Kakashi. He had been standing guard duty as an Anbu on the room Naruto was in when the young nurse had decided to do away with him.

The next report was filed on October eleventh. Naruto had been locked out of the Orphanage for the night and found by a roving mob of drunks looking for a good time after the local festival had ended. They had beaten the child and left him for dead with several kunai still stuck in his body. They had literally thrown the child in a garbage can where Kakashi had found him. This time Kakashi had refused to be moved outside the room while Naruto was worked on to try and save his life. All this crap by the time he was two and it didn't even make a dint in the number of reports in the file. All the reports after that were pretty much the same as those though. Cases where Naruto got the crap beat out of him bad enough to warrant a visit to the hospital and at least an overnight stay in the intensive care ward. What she had noticed was that for every year Naruto seemed to spend October the eleventh in the hospital. The first year he hadn't would seem to have been the year Jiraiya took him away for his training. For the last five years there had been no reports of Naruto being in the hospital at all. Such a detail as the yearly visits could have been easily overlooked in the massive amounts of times he'd been hospitalized but she was looking for commonalities and so of course she had caught it. Another thing she had noted was that his birthday coincided perfectly with the yearly festival. October tenth. She wondered if that had something to do with the beatings he got on that day. She would have to ask Tsunade.

Making up her mind she tidied up and left her apartment, taking the thick book-like file with her. Moments later she was outside knocking on Tsunade's office door. "Come in"

"Tsunade... You have some explaining to do I believe." She handed over the file.

Tsunade looked up in shock. "You read the whole thing in just one night?"

"Yes and I want to know why he was allowed to be treated so poorly. That boy was in the hospital more times than he wasn't and even there he wasn't safe. About half those reports are from this office detailing how someone at the hospital tried to kill him."

"Who you talking about?" asked a young voice from he couch along the wall. Watarimono turned and noticed Naruto for the first time since she had come into the office. Tsunade smirked at him.

"She's talking about you Gaki. I gave her your hospital records to read last night."

"What'd you do that for Oba-chan? She doesn't need to see those!" For the first time since she had met him Naruto looked angry but she also saw a momentary flash of fear in his eyes before the anger covered it up. So he can get angry, she thought, but only to cover up something else.

"You're wrong Gaki and I told you not to call me that. If she is going to be working with you than she needs to know your history."

"Oba-chan Baa-chan what's the difference? You are old and we both know it so why does it matter what I call you. And those records are private. Besides I thought you said she was working on Sasuke and Kakashi. Kami knows they need the help."

Not more so than you do, my friend, thought Tsunade.

"Actually Naruto, I was hired to work with all of your team. Yes I am going to work on Sasuke. He needs to allow himself to openly feel things and not be ashamed of having them but each of you need help or you will cause a great deal of damage in the not too distant future. Well maybe not Pinky but the rest of you. It's a definite possibility."

"Yeah yeah. That's nothing new. I been hearing that old song all my life. I'm not gonna let it loose to destroy this place and she knows it." He glared at Tsunade. "You just work with Teme and Kakashi and leave me alone. I'm doing just fine."

Now Watarimono knew she could have just left things alone and let Naruto walk out of the office with his mask in place but that wouldn't serve anyone. "Is that so?" she asked just as he reached the door. "If that's true then why did I see a flash of fear in your eye when Tsunade told you she gave me your hospital records to read?"

He froze. Then his head whipped around and he snarled at her. In a deeper voice than he would normally use he said, "Leave the Kit alone. It's under control and I know what I am doing." Then he yanked the door open and fled the building as fast as he could move. People fell down and papers went flying some ending up several levels below where they had begun their flight.

In Tsunade's office both women shivered and neither spoke for several minutes. Finally, Watarimono said, "Tsunade, just what did you get me into this time? I could swear his eyes were red before he went tearing out of here."

"They were and that's why I need your help so bad. That voice wasn't Naruto's at all."

"The Demon the girls were told of at school yesterday?" It wasn't really a question but Tsunade chose to answer it as one anyway.

"Yes. That was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Otherwise known as the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon." She took a deep breath and continued, "Naruto is the vessel for him and lately it seems that the fox is making his wishes known more and more. I think more than anything that Fox hates this village for the way they treated Naruto when he was too young to stop them but the more the villagers do the more the anger grows and the more Naruto covers it up. It's a vicious cycle but Naruto acts like he doesn't even see the danger he's in."

"He sees it, Tsunade. He just doesn't know what else to do," Jiraiya said from the window sill. "What happened just now? I felt the fox chakra all the way over at the gate house." Next to him were Yamato and Kakashi.

"I made an observation he didn't like," said Watarimono.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and waited patiently. His expression told her she needed to explain further.

"Tsunade let me read his files last night and when I brought them back to her this morning I didn't see Naruto in the room. I was pretty angry at the time."

"Yes those files are something to make even the monks cry over," whispered Kakashi.

"So I was sounding off on her when Naruto asked who's files I'd been reading. When she told him I saw fear in his eyes before he covered it with mild anger. He told me to leave him alone and just work on the rest of you. That he didn't need my help. So I called him on it." She paused for breath and to gather her thoughts. "I don't think anyone has ever seen through his mask before or at least if they did they either didn't call hm on it or they're dead already."

"It's cracking," Jiraiya said. "When I first met him he seemed to be just an empty-headed stubborn Gaki of a boy that gave no thought to any minute beyond the one he was standing in right that second. Took me a couple of months to see through it. He always seemed cheerfully angry to me and I got curious so I started poking about and found out a lot more than I wanted to know. The boy may act the ahou but he is anything but. He's got survivors instincts up the ying yang and that mask you are determined to break is one of them."

"You said it yourself Jiraiya-san. It is breaking. Everyday more and more of the real Naruto is breaking free. I need to get him to remove the mask before it's too late and the Kyuubi does it for him. Because if we just stand back and let the mask break into a million pieces the only one that will win is the Fox," said Watarimono.

"And if that mask should break like that the fox will take vengeance on everyone who has ever done the slightest thing wrong to Naruto in his entire life. Foxes are very protective of their young but what's worse is from my reading even Demons don't mistreat their younglings," said Yamato.

"Then is it possible that every time Naruto has been treated in a way that should have hurt him or at least made him angry the fox has been taking that emotion away in an effort to protect him?" asked Kakashi.

Everyone's eyes got wider as the thought slowly slipped into their brains. "It could explain what the fox said," said Tsunade.

"What exactly did the fox say?" asked Yamato.

"He said and I quote, "_Leave the Kit alone. It's under control and I know what I am doing." _unquote," said Tsunade.

"Well," said Jiraiya, "I don't know about the rest of you but I intend to do what the fox suggested and leave the kid alone until I see more evidence that the fox has an agenda that isn't good for him."

Yamato and Kakashi both looked troubled but seeing as how they could think of nothing to do that would in any way help the situation they decided to leave. "Jiraiya-san, I can't help but wonder if what the fox is doing is gathering all Naruto's negative feelings together to make some big push at over-coming the seal." Tsunade looked worried and so did Watarimono but Jiraiya shook his head.

"That wouldn't do him any good. Naruto has been steadily absorbing the fox's chakra for years now. Since his birth actually and the fox doesn't have much time left before he gets completely absorbed into Naruto. I think these cracks we are seeing are the fox's attempt to allow those feelings to escape so that once he is absorbed Naruto won't be swamped by them."

"Are you sure?" asked Tsunade.

"A few months back the kid talked to the fox in his head and when he came out of his trance he said the fox is really small now. He said the fox told him that in another year or so he wouldn't be there at all." He paused and thought for a couple of minutes. "It seems to me that what began as an effort to protect the child Kyuubi knew Naruto to be snowballed into a major problem once the fox realized the effect of the seal. Taking Naruto's hurt and anger had become habit but now that he knows he doesn't have long left he has to give back some of it so that Naruto learns how to deal with it appropriately. That would explain why he doesn't want you to interfere, Wata-sama. He's giving them back in small amounts that Naruto can handle and absorbing the amounts he can't."

"But won't there be a backlash when he finally does go away?" asked Watarimono.

"I don't think so. I think since he has been taking them since Naruto was old enough to feel them they have become his now. Naruto has always said his feelings and the Kyuubi's aren't the same. That the Kyuubi has one way of looking at things while Naruto looks at them differently. There are only a few times when they both see things the same way. Usually when the town or Naruto's precious people are threatened."

"What about when he is threatened?" asked Watarimono.

"Even then they don't see it the same way. Except for one day that is. Which reminds me. Where are you sending him this year, Tsunade?"

"What?"

"On the tenth. Where is he going?"

"Oh I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. I think his friends will be very angry if he isn't here for the festival."

Jiraiya gave her a look that said she had rocks in her head while the look on Watarimono's face didn't give her much more credit. "Have you lost your mind, Tsunade?"

"If what I saw in those reports is true, then making him stay here for that festival is asking for someone to find and kill him," seconded Watarimono.

"His friends have planned a surprise for him. If I make him leave town they'll kill me and Naruto is strong enough now to protect himself from drunken fools."

Jiraiya shook his head and said, "You're loosing it old woman. The Gaki doesn't ever want to be here on that day because he knows he won't be able to bring himself to hurt those villagers. You make him stay in town and your just as bad as they are."

Watarimono said, "Well, you know the situation best but I think I'll stop by the hospital and make sure they have an open bed. I'll remind them he's in town this year and of what happens every year at this time."

She turned and calmly walked out of the door. She shut it quietly and made her way out of the building.

Only when the door had shut so softly did Tsunade understand just how angry her friend really was. When Watarimono got angry she was the exact opposite of Tsunade. Where Tsunade would tear great big gaping wholes in the landscape, Watarimono would go super quiet. And while you might think that was nothing to worry about she was a mind manipulator by trade. She could give you nightmares for weeks with one word.

**Author Notes:**

**Only one word to define for you and some of you may already know it. Ahou means fool. Anyway please review so I can get better and better and better. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Notes:**

**So this chapter has taken so long. (Hangs head and shuffles feet) My brain stole my wallet and went on this really fantastic vacation with my credit cards and it just took me a long time to find it again. Sorry**

**Disclaimer:**

**As always I'm too poor to own Naruto but my brain takes nice vacations for me so it works out.**

Chapter Seven

An Apprentice

Watarimono wandered around the town for awhile. She had already seen enough to learn that this town was pretty much the same as the one she had yearned to get away from when she had been a child. However she was looking for where the Yamanaka family lived here and although Tsu had given her the address that didn't make it any easier to find. The Streets of Konoha were a maze to navigate. Alleyways were created by buildings being placed right in the center of the street. She supposed if she'd had been a ninja it would have made travel by roof top easier but she wasn't a ninja so her feet had to travel over the ground. Eventually she found herself standing in front a flowershop with the address she was looking for. So the Yamanaka family seemed to be into plants here too. That was interesting. She was about to push the door open when a pink blur brushed by her with a cuse me floating in the air over her shoulder. Following the blur through the door, she wasn't surprised to find Pinky leaning up against the counter talking animatedly to the blond girl standing behind it.

The Blonde had noticed her entrance and gave her a smile of welcome while holding up a finger to indicate she needed a minute or two before she could help her. Watarimono nodded and smiled back, giving the girls a moment to finish their conversation. It seemed that Pinky was doing all the talking but the cashier heard her out patiently.

"So Sakura, you're excited because he touched your hand when he passed you on his way home for lunch. You think he did it on purpose or did he just not have enough space to avoid it?"

"What does that mean, Pig? Of course he meant to touch me. Why wouldn't he? Everyone knows we're meant to be together. I am his biggest fan after all."

"Forehead girl! Stop it. If he meant to touch you, then he must have said something to you. So what did he say? Did he ask you to have lunch or go on a date?"

"No Ino. He didn't say anything. He just touched my hand."

"Well did he at least look at you. I mean in the eye. Look you in the eye." Ino sounded like she believed Sakura's story about as much as she believed she'd sprout wings in a min.

"Well, no but so what. He touched my hand." Sakura squealed like a stuck pig.

Watarimono decided enough was enough. She needed to get this girl out of the range of her ears if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her hearing. "Excuse me girls but I believe you are the person I am supposed to find young lady." She pointed to Ino.

"Wait your turn. My lunch break is almost up and she and I were talking. You can order your flowers when we're done," said Sakura turning her back on Watarimono.

"Hey Forehead, that was rude. This is my folks shop and maybe she's on a lunchbreak also. This may be the only time she can buy her flowers." Ino stepped out from behind the counter folding her hands together neatly in front of her body. "My name is Yamanaka Ino. How may I help you today?"

Behind her Sakura snorted but Ino ignored her to concentrate on the customer in front of her. "Oh I am not here to buy flowers. And you are the person I was asked to train. My name is Yaman Watarimono and I am a distant relative of yours. My branch of the family uses our bloodline trait a little differently than yours does and your Hokage has asked that I show you how to use it like I do. Would this be of interest to you?" She had seen the interest the moment she had said they were related but it wasn't Ino that answered her.

"Yes, she would Rakki Otome No Jiko." A man with the same blond hair as the girl in front of her now stood behind the counter. "Any thing you could desire to teach my unworthy daughter would be help most welcome." He sent a deep bow in Watarimono's direction. Ino and Sakura were looking at him as if they'd never seen him before.

"Who are you and what did you do with my daifu?" asked Ino.

Watarimono laughed. "Don't worry. That's your daifu. I guess he's just heard of me that's all. Why don't you say good bye to your friend and then we can get down to what I will teach you and what you already know."

"Ok." She walked back over to Sakura. "As for what you were telling me earlier, it doesn't sound like Sasuke really meant to touch your hand at all. He probably doesn't even know he did. Knowing you, you didn't give him enough room to get by on the sidewalk so he brushed against you by accident. It doesn't mean he's chosen you so it's still on Forehead." Then she turned on her heel and Watarimono saw two expressions warring for dominance on her face. The first was exasperation and the second exhilaration. It was clear the girls were in a race for the boy they both liked but just how common was the name Sasuke in this town? They couldn't be vying for the boy with no emotions could they? Ino made it back to her side and together they left the shop.

"What's a good place to observe people while we eat some decent food?" she asked the girl.

"Well for observing people an out door café would work best but for good food than it'd definitely have to be the Bar-b-Que joint down the street from here." She paused for a minute. "Can I ask you why my Daifu was acting like that? I've never seen him bow to anyone before except the Hokage."

Watarimono sighed. "Well now that I've walked into your life it's going to change things for you. Hopefully not very much but it will still change things."

Ino frowned delicately. She didn't want wrinkles but this was confusing. "Like how?"

"Well, when you get home tonight your Daifu is going to ask you a lot of questions about me and what I talked to you about today. He is going to know what I said and you are going to be asked to recall the exact language I used. It's a lot of nonsense but that's how it is I guess."

"Is your name really Rakki? If so then why did you introduce yourself as that other name?"

"Yeah my given name is Yamanaka Rakki Otome No Jiko. A proud boastful name given to me by an arrogant little man who wanted to make sure he was remembered by everyone who knew me. But when I gained my freedom from him I changed my name. Now I am Yaman Watarimono. My daughters are Rakki and Jiyuu, so named because with their birth we all gained our freedom to be the people we were born to be."

Ino looked puzzled but hopefully she'd figure this one out later. For now she just led the way inside the Bar-b-Que place and looked for her Sensei and friends. When she spotted Chouji she led Watarimono over to them and introduced her. Asuma, her Sensei, gave Watarimono a polite greeting and then asked her to join them for lunch.

"I have been asked by the Hokage to train Ino in the way my branch of the family uses her gift but I do not wish to interfere with her regular training. Is there a good time for her to be with me and away from you guys?

"We usually do our training whenever we can get this lazy guy to wake up long enough so whenever is best for you I will work around."

Watarimono looked at the boy he had indicated who had his head resting on his folded arms which were resting on the table. She saw Ino poke a finger into his side but the boy didn't even twitch. Ino's brow shot up and she got a slight grin on her face as she poked him twice in rapid succession. For her reward, he snored but made no move to protect his vulnerable side. Watarimono smiled as she watched the girl playing with her sleeping teammate. She glanced at the tables other occupants and saw they were both watching Ino also. Asuma had an indulgent smile on his face while Chouji showed more interest in the bar-b-que on his plate.

After lunch they walked out of the restaurant with her genin team and parted ways on the sidewalk. Ino followed her and she led the way to the training ground where she'd found Kakashi training his team the day before. As they walked she had Ino observe the people around them. She kept quiet and did the exercise herself.

When they drew near the training ground she took a seat on a bench and had Ino tell her what she had seen.

"Well, I'm not sure what I was supposed to be looking for but Ms. Yaku really needs better help in picking her wardrobe. She seemed to think she looked good in that color but boy is she wrong." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Ok Fashion is not what I wanted you to observe. It's good to note when someone is wearing something out of character so in that sense noticing what people wear is important. Does she normally dress like that?"

"Always. She really has no sense of when colors clash. I still swear she's the seamstress who made that jumpsuit Naruto always wear. No one else would make one in bright orange with blue trim."

"Then she is a seamstress?"

"Uhhh. . . I don't think so. Her daifu would probably have a heart-attack if she ever soiled her hands on real labor."

"Oh so that was just gossip. Ok. Well, let me tell you how I work. I work with peoples minds. Not to trap them but to heal them. When people wear a mask it is because something is hurting them and they don't want anyone to know about it. But it's my job to find it and relieve that hurt before it can destroy them. Ninjas wear a lot of masks I am discovering. So this town alone could easily keep me, my daughters and you busy for the rest of our natural lives."

Ino thought carefully about what she'd just heard before she spoke, "Let me see if I understand this right. My branch of the family uses our gift to slip into people's minds and make them give up the fight but your side uses it to rip away the masks we put on to keep others from hurting us over things we are sensitive to and you want to teach me to do this also."

"Basically yes."

"Why?"

"Because when people hide things behind a mask they are things that are hurting them. And sometimes those things can hurt others as well. I don't like to see people in pain when I know I can help remove it."

"Ok I guess that makes sense but what about those people who aren't hurting and only put on a mask to keep themselves from being hurt?"

"No one does that, Ino. People only find a mask after they have already been hurt."

"I need to think about this and talk to my daifu about it. It feels like I would be betraying my friends if I agree to learn this and I don't want to do that."

"You wouldn't be betraying anyone Ino because you wouldn't be able to gossip about what you find under the mask or even who is wearing it. You wouldn't be able to say a word about it. We do not under any circumstances gossip. Ever. And in a way you are already attempting to do what I do anyway. Your friend, Pinky at the shop. . ."

"Oh you mean Forehead girl. She and I have been friends since before the academy but right now we both like the same boy. He doesn't share the attraction but that's what makes it cool cause he doesn't like any other girl either."

"Ok new question. How many boys are there named Sasuke in this village?"

"Just one that I know of. Uchiha Sasuke. His whole clan was killed when he was a kid by his older brother who then ran off leaving him alone to practically raise himself but the village pitched in and made sure his needs and most of his wants are met. Everyone tries their hardest to help him but Sasuke changed after that and now he hardly ever smiles and all his feelings come out of his eyes. You have to look hard to know what he thinks about anything."

"I see you've really though a great deal about him but now I want you to close your eyes and just think about him as he was when you last saw him. I want you to throw out everything you think you know and just tell me what you know from the image in your mind."

Ino was quiet. She sat with her arms around her knees which were drawn to her chest as she studied Sasuke in her mind. Finally she said, "He's sad, and angry and lonely. There were a bunch of us all around but he seems to be looking for a particular person. I get the feeling he doesn't see who he wanted to and that's what is making him angry. It's like maybe if that person had been there then he wouldn't be lonely and he's angry cause he is, you know?" She opened her eyes and looked at Watarimono.

"Much better Ino. Much better. When was this?"

"We have a weekly get together of the genins from our graduating year. Well, us and one other team. But it's a lot of fun and everyone who isn't out on a mission or off training comes to reconnect with friends and just relax for a few hours. In our line of work those ties that bind us to each other are all the more precious cause we know they could snap at any time. We're Ninjas and our lives aren't ours to command, as Shika says."

"Shika?"

"My teammate who slept through lunch today and will sleep through it again tomorrow too. I have to stop by his place every time we have an early practice and wake him up but he is really smart so I don't mind doing it. It's one way I can benefit my team and since I am the most vulnerable of the team . . ."

"That's why I don't really understand why you're a ninja at all. My family always said we shouldn't be ninjas because we were too vulnerable to attack."

"Well, all girls are the most vulnerable members of their team but they can also make the difference between a team surviving a mission and dying. Rarely are we ever stronger than our male counter-parts but we tend to be medics and most of us have better chakra control than the boys do. Statistically we are also better at Genjutsu than guys are. I think that's because we think differently than the guys but I'm not sure."

"Hm Could be. I never really thought about it before but yeah I can see how having a girl on the team could help a team make it back from a difficult mission alive. Anyway don't you want to know who we will be working with while we train you?"

Ino grinned, "I figured you'd tell me when you were ready to."

"Well, Tsunade has asked me to help Naruto and Sasuke to take off their masks. Neither is wearing a physical mask but both have one that they are hiding behind. My job is to rip it away and you will be helping me do it while you learn to do it yourself. We are also going to help that girl, what'd you call her, Forehead I think, learn some better manners and some definite people skills before she gets the crap knocked out of her for hitting someone on the wrong day."

"Forehead girl? Sakura! She normally has really good manners. Please don't judge her by the way she behaved today in the shop."

"I'm not. While you have been doing your exercises I was watching the practice going on in the field behind you. She has hit that boy in orange who I know to be Naruto no less than ten times for little or no reason as far as I can see. That is way more dangerous than she knows."

"Naruto? He would never hurt her. He'd never hurt anyone in this village. And he probably made a rude comment to or about Sasuke. Either that or he asked her out again. She always hits him for that stuff."

"And you seem to think it's ok for your friend to beat up on her teammate because he asked her out." Watarimono raised a brow at Ino.

"Well, no but then he seems to expect it and if she didn't he'd think something was wrong you know. Actually I don't like how free she is with her fists towards him but this is the pattern they have developed and I don't know that she can stop without hurting him more."

"I see. But as far as I can tell she doesn't want to stop either. She seems to look for instances to hit him. He was fighting Sasuke when she ran out and hit him on the top of his head. Sasuke stepped away from the fight but she stayed there and when he went to stand up she beat him down again. Is that alright in your book?"

"No. If he and Sasuke were fighting than what she did was dangerous. Their fights are legendary here. They can turn from practice to real in a heartbeat and when they get real, they get deadly."

"I thought you said Naruto won't hurt anyone here."

"Well he will Sasuke cause Sasuke provokes him and he knows Sasuke has a good chance of surviving the battle. They'll go all out on each other but with everyone else Naruto will hold back and only use as much of his strength as he needs to in order to win. He never tries for the kill in a battle unless there's no other way."

"Hm. . . well I think it's time to go cook my girls dinner so I will pick you up tomorrow at the flowershop for lesson two. Same time I picked you up today. Goodnight Ino."

Watarimono walked over to where Kakashi stood alone by the black spire. He was staring at the names carved on the stone so she gave him a couple of minutes in silence before speaking.

"Kashi, come to my place for dinner tonight. There's some things you need to know." She put her hand through the space between his chest and his arm. He just looked at her and then gave a slow nod. He turned from the spire and reached out with his other hand to touch the surface of the rock before leading her away from the memorial. They didn't talk on the walk to her place. He held her hand on the crook of his elbow and they just enjoyed the silence of the evening.

When they reached her place the door was thrown open by Rakki and they stepped inside. Now that Kakashi wasn't trying to avoid Watarimono he actually had a chance to notice the girls. He saw they both had the same silver hair that he had only theirs was longer.

"Watari? Who's children are these?" he asked growing suspicious.

Watari walked over and placed a hand on the shoulder of each of her daughters. They all three looked at him with the same green eyes and said, "Yours."

He fainted to the sounded of laughter.

**Author Notes:**

**And here it is; the next chapter in the saga of Watarimono. I'm trying to keep all the characters true to the personalities they show in the magna and I know I'm exagerating Sakura's behavior but really she is a rude abusive little girl who does think too highly of herself quite often. If you really like Sakura and you think I'm making her too mean then I apologize but it's my story and I'm too much of a parent not to want to punish the brat when she behaves badly in the magna.**

**Ok lot of new words today. I got these from a English/Japanese translation site so if they are wrong tell them not me. Just kidding tell me and I'll try to write it down somewhere it won't get lost.**

Rakki Otome No Jiko Lucky daughter of Self. Watarimono's father named her lucky daughter and used his own name "Self"as part of her name.

Daifu father


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Notes: Well here is chapter eight. My brain decided it had had enough of exotic locations so I was able to put it to work and knock out this chapter fairly quickly. Hope you enjoy it. (Translation, Two Tails Mallet Muse of Inspiration)**

**Mother Rose: snorts. . . like that would really inspire me to write when I have to practically nail your butt to the chair to get you to do the beta**

**Two Tails: Hmm... Did you say something Rose?**

**Mother Rose: Ok mutters knew I should have named you Kakashi **

**Disclaimer: No I'm still too poor for owning Naruto.**

**Two Tails: What don't look at me! Im almost as poor as you are!**

**Mother Rose: You're poorer.**

**Two Tails: Only when you steal your husbands wallet on payday you old bat.**

**Mother Rose: Exactly why you're poorer. He makes more than you do. . . be grateful. whispers Or I'd be stealing yours.**

**Two Tails: Never any money in mine, and you cant use my card :P oh yeah we need to discuss my beta fee Rose. Que Story!**

Chapter Eight

And You Thought You had a Temper

Naruto was pissed. He wasn't just angry. He was royally pissed. He'd just come from Tsunade's office where he'd thought he'd get a mission to take him out of the village during the festival that was coming up in two weeks but no. Tsunade had told him he wasn't allowed to go on any out of town missions until that . . .that _person_ she'd called in cleared him for active duty. What the _Hell_ was that all about. Since when did an unknown stranger who wasn't even a ninja let alone a _LEAF_ nin have to do with clearing people for missions. He wasn't worried about his safety during the festival. He had his cave after all and he'd just go there before sunrise and not show up until the next day. But for now she said he had to go see this woman and get her to clear him for active duty. He could still run missions in town of course but the closer the festival came the more dangerous that was and Naruto knew it even if Tsunade Baa-chan didn't. For now he stomped his way over to Team seven's training grounds and proceeded to take out his temper on the wooden posts. He was so intent on beating the crap out of them that he didn't even notice the chakra signatures of his teammates arriving at the field.

"Hn. Dobe! What's got your tail in a twist this morning?"

He growled and continued to punch and kick the non-offending post. It was the last post standing as the other two were already kindling and chips littering the ground. With one last powerful kick he blew the post into a state matching the other two and jumped high into the air. He ran as fast as he could over to the trees lining the practice area and chakra ran up the tree. Once he was into it's leafy cover he ran along the ninja highway of branches until he found another clearing and proceeded to continue his workout. Large craters marked the ground where he had power punched or kicked offending rocks or stumps for getting in his way. Not that the rocks or stumps knew they were in the way but all the same they were and he got rid of them.

As soon as he had landed in this clearing he'd removed his jacket having worked up quite a sweat at the training ground. Now he paused long enough to remove his soaked t-shirt and toss it in the general direction of his jacket. He removed his shoes and pants and dove into the stream of cool water. From under the water he created his bushins and started to battle with them. He was using every move he knew blowing away the bushins like they were pure air. Every time one would blow up he'd create more to replace it.

By the time his team caught up with him there were over a thousand bushins in or around the stream. Every few seconds there'd be an explosion and some of the multitude would disappear only to be replaced a moment later with twice their number.

"Holy Kami," breathed Sakura, as she struggled to take in the sheer immensity of Naruto's anger. "What bee got into his breakfast cereal this morning?"

Kakashi just looked at the destruction but Sasuke collapsed upon the ground with wide eyes. His voice was quiet as a whisper when he said, "I was willing to face that! I deliberately provoked a fight with someone who could do this. And I honestly thought I could beat him." He started to laugh. Kakashi just looked at him. He felt much the same way but although he knew Naruto needed to be stopped there was no way he was willing to be the one to try to stop him. If he could cause this much destruction to non-living organisms how much could he cause to a normal person. Five bushins popped out of existence and this time they weren't replaced. Maybe Naruto was beginning to calm down. He sat down on the grass beside the laughing Uchiha.

Sakura just looked at them before shaking her head. "You two are pathetic. He has to be stopped. There's no reason for him to be doing this." She started stalking over to where Naruto could be seen fighting under the surface of the water with about ten of his bushins. Just as she got close to the stream a powerful burst of chakra sent the water out of it's banks and it formed two waves ten feet high speeding towards the land on both sides of the formerly peaceful stream. Naruto rose from the water with his arms outspread and his face raised to the sky. His eyes were closed and if you hadn't seen the destruction he was causing you'd never know how angry he was from the expression on his face. Such destruction should never be accompanied by such a peaceful expression, Sakura thought as the wave he'd created crashed into her and sent her flying across the clearing until her flight was stopped by the thick trunk of a tree four rows of trees back from the clearing. She collapsed bonelessly on the ground and wondered just how she was still alive.

Ino and Watarimono had followed Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke to the stream when they'd seen the destruction of the training post in the normal training area of team seven. Ino had told her new sensei that the destruction meant that either Naruto was out of control or that Sasuke was. Or quite possibly both of them were and now were continuing their fight somewhere else as they often did when one ticked the other off to the point that fighting was the only answer. Neither had hesitated in following the others to the stream. They'd arrived just in time to see Sakura take her flying lesson. She had failed but Ino ran to her side to see if she needed healing as Watarimono sat down beside the hysterical Uchiha. She slapped him and he stopped laughing but didn't take his eyes off Naruto.

"What happened?" she asked Kakashi.

"Don't know. We arrived at the training grounds and found him systematically destroying it. He took off after he turned the last post into firewood and came here so we followed him."

"Don't you think you should do something to stop him?"

"Like what? You can see what he's doing and I should tell you that all this is without using more than an eighth of his chakra. He is in control but it's . . ." He paused to gather his thoughts. "Any interference and he could lose control completely. It's best to just let it run it's course."

"Well, what would make him do this? I know he and Sasuke will have battles that destroy everything around them but he's not fighting Sasuke right now so what else could cause him to do this?"

Beside her Sasuke whispered, "thank Kami," when she'd said he wasn't fighting Naruto. "He's angry. Someone really made him mad and since he can't hurt that person he's destroying nature instead. I do the same thing but not on this scale." He looked around. "I don't think I could destroy anything on this scale even if I was fully rested with all my chakra at my disposal." He shuddered.

Out in the stream Naruto allowed himself to sink back under the surface of the water which was several feet lower than it used to be and swam out into the current allowing it to carry him downstream. He was deliberately not thinking right now, knowing that if he allowed himself to think he'd just get angrier and the angrier he was the more likely it was that the Fox would emerge. So he emptied his mind and just allowed the current to carry him off. He'd break the surface of the water when his lungs burned for air but as soon as they were replenished he'd sink back under and drift again.

On the shore, Kakashi got to his feet. "Watari take Sasuke and Sakura back to the village. I'm going to follow Naruto. He'll need me when this is over."

"You think he'll talk to you when he calms down?"

"No. He won't say a word but he'll need me since Iruka isn't here right now." That said Kakashi walked off. He followed the stream trying to keep Naruto in sight. He'd picked up the teens clothes and carried them in his hands as he walked along.

Watarimono helped Sasuke to his feet and together they walked over to where Ino was helping Sakura to stand. "I wonder what Kashi meant by that."

"Naruto has a few support people he leans on when things get to be too much. The main one is Iruka. But he'll also lean on Tsunade and Jiraiya.. I'm not sure but I think Iruka is the only person who has ever seen the real Naruto," Sasuke answered her.

"What are you talking about Sasuke? Naruto is just an over-powered Dobe," scoffed Sakura.

If looks could kill Sakura would be on the ground as a pile of ash from the look Sasuke gave her. "You know for the smartest girl in our year you really aren't that bright." Sakura looked down and leaned a little more heavily on the arm Ino was supporting her by. "Naruto may be an over-powered Dobe but he is also a lot more than that and I really have a hard time believing that we've been on the same team for this long and you haven't learned that yet."

"Why are you acting like this Sasuke? You usually never say anything nice about anyone, let alone him," Sakura said in a quiet voice still looking at the ground.

"Maybe because for someone who is supposed to be his friend you don't act like one and I'm tired of it. Now I'm going to town to see if I can figure out what happened." He took off leaving the others to follow at their own pace.

Ino took Sakura to the hospital where they bandaged her ribs and released her telling her to take it easy for a day or two. After dropping Sakura off Watari had taken Ino with her to Tsunade's office.

"Well, Tsu. I think we've had a breakthrough this morning. I just don't know why," she said when they got there.

"What do you mean? A breakthrough with who?"

"Both of them actually." Watarimono laughed. "Sasuke was actually talking and express his emotions without shame or trying to repress them but I don't think he realizes that he was. The child does have the normal range of emotions and he does still have a good sense of self-preservation."

Tsunade looked thoughtful. "Why? What was happening this morning that could have caused him to react without thinking about it first?"

Ino laughed and said, "He got to see first hand just how much power Naruto really has at his command. It was. . .eye opening. . .for all of us. Most of us already knew Naruto had more chakra and power than the rest of us do but I don't think I ever really realized just how much he has. Sasuke didn't either."

"Wait a min. What happened?"

"Naruto got angry. No one knows why but the destruction he caused clearly pointed to the fact that he was indeed very angry at something or someone. He destroyed the posts at team seven's normal training grounds and when the rest of his teammates showed up he took off. They followed him and we followed them to where Naruto was in the process of destroying a very tranquil clearing with a formerly peaceful stream running through it," Watarimono explained.

"Sasuke took a look at the destruction and the number of Naruto's in the clearing and lost control of his normal stoic self enough to let his emotions show clearly on his face and in his voice. Let's just say Sasuke has a new appreciation of his life and the fact that after all the battles he and Naruto have had that he is still alive."

"So if he's angry why aren't you trying to figure out why, Wata? Does this mean that I need to find Yamato to seal him?" Tsunade asked.

"No. He's in control and Kashi is with him. I asked Kashi if he thought Naruto would talk when he calms down and Kashi said no. Kashi said Naruto won't say a word about what made him so mad but that he'd need him so I let him go to him. But make no mistake, Tsu, I will find out what made that boy so angry. If for no other reason but that we may have to use that information to cause it to happen again. I am sure that this explosion of anger this morning will have put another crack in his mask but I'm not sure it will be wide enough to break the mask off. So do you have any idea what could have happened?"

Tsunade turned to look out her window towards the area where team seven usually met of a morning. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought, "I'm sorry Naruto but this is in your best interest." Outloud she said, "He was here this morning looking for a mission and I told him he wouldn't be getting any until you cleared him for active duty again." She stayed facing the window as both Ino and Watarimono looked at her. Well really they looked at the back of her chair since the chairs back was longer than her own.

"And that made him angry enough to do all that damage? Why?" Watarimono asked.

"Because I told him he wouldn't be able to convince you to release him before the Festival. He really doesn't like to be in town when the village celebrates the greatness of the Fourth."

"Well, after seeing his medical records I can understand that but he's not the same defenseless child he was the last time he was in town for the Festival so you'd think he might be happy to have a chance to celebrate his birthday with his friends for a change."

"Wait. What do you mean celebrate his birthday?" asked Ino. "When is Naruto's birthday?"

"You don't know?" asked Watarimono. Ino just shook her head. "Tsunade, what is going on in this place!"

"Naruto has never had a reason to celebrate his birthday. Nor did he ever feel anyone would care to celebrate it so he never told anyone when it is. For the longest time he didn't even know what day he'd been born," Tsunade explained.

"So his birthday is sometime around the time of the Festival. Well when? Ths year we will celebrate it for him whether he likes it or not," Ino said defiantly with her hands balled into fists and placed on her hips.

Tsunade just looked at her for a minute. "You're serious about wanting to know huh? Well, then you'll have to make a choice. You can either celebrate the festival or you can celebrate Naruto's birthday but you can't do both."

"Why not?"

"Cause they're the same day, Ino. If you try to celebrate both Naruto won't believe you're celebrating his birthday. He'll believe you just found out and threw it into your party as a pity thing cause you really want to celebrate the greatness of the man he has every reason to hate and no I won't tell you why," said Tsunade.

"Naruto was born on Festival day. That's awesome. I wonder if his folks planned it that way."

Both adults looked at her in shock. Then Tsunade remembered Ino didn't know who Naruto's parents were. "Ino," she said, "The festival didn't come around until the day Naruto turned one. Think about it. The Festival is to celebrate the sacrifice of the greatest Hokage this village has ever known and that sacrifice was only made eighteen years ago. So there's no way they could have planned to have him born on Festival day. He's older than the Festival."

Ino looked non-pulsed for a moment but then she smiled, "All the more reason he should have a party this year." She folded her arms in front of her body and began to think about who to get to help with the planning of the party and where they could hold it. Not once did it occur to her that she couldn't ever remember even seeing Naruto on Festival Day.

"Anyway now that I know what happened I think I need to go find some people. By the way I need to meet this guy, Iruka. Can you arrange that while I go find Kashi and Naruto?"

"Iruka is the academy school teacher and classes should just be getting out now. If you stop by the academy and tell him what happened this morning he'll probably know where Kakashi and Naruto are right now." Tsunade pulled a paper off the never-ending stack on her desktop and began reading as Watarimono and Ino let themselves out of her office.

On the walk to the academy, Watarimono had Ino do the observation exercise again and allowed her thoughts to drift where they wanted to. She knew that by doing this she would be able to properly sort out the occurrences of the day into what was the most important and telling for her purposes. By the time she reached the academy all the children had already scampered off and the building was quiet. Ino led the way to Iruka's classroom and knocked on the door. Iruka was gathering his papers together when he bid them enter.

Watarimono walked over to his desk with her hand stretched out. "Hi I'm Watarimono but everyone calls me Wata or Watari. You may also. It's nice to meet you."

Iruka gave her a slight bow and took her offered hand bringing it to his lips. "I am Iruka. How may I help you today?"

"You can tell me about Naruto."

Iruka gave her a sharp look but didn't change his expression in any other way. It was clear to her that her statement had put his guard up though. So he was protective of the boy. How interesting. "Why? What do you think I know about Naruto that you couldn't find out by talking to him yourself?"

"Oh, how about everything?"

Iruka backed up a step and straightened his back. A fierce gleam came into his eye and he clearly went into defense mode. It seemed talking about Naruto was not something he was willing to do. "I don't know you and you don't know me. I do not talk about my students to anyone but their parents. I would appreciate it if you left now."

"But Naruto isn't your student anymore," said Watarimono, not moving an inch.

"He was one of my students and what I know of him stems from that time and I do not ever talk about my students with anyone who isn't their parent. I happen to know for a fact that Naruto has no living parents so if you will excuse me I have papers to grade."

"Iruka-sensei, Naruto got angry this morning," said Ino. "He tore up the training grounds where his team practices and then went and blasted a peaceful clearing into devastating rubble. Do you know where he might go now? That's all we really need to know right now."

Iruka closed his eyes. In a quiet voice he asked, "Why? What happened?"

"Hokage-sama told him something he didn't want to hear." Ino looked to her feet.

"I'll go to him then." Iruka flashed a couple of signs and disappeared from the classroom.

Watarimono blinked. "Dammit. He didn't say where the Gaki would go now."

**Author Notes: Send me a review if you want to see this story continue. I have some other stories I'm working on as well but I hope you all like this one enough for me to continue it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Two Tails:Is busy stuffing his face with ramen: Enh? Go away I'm busy. Mmmmm Ramen**

**Rose: You lazy Beta reader! You Beta'd, TT, and forgot to do the disclaimer.**

**Two-Tails: Slurps his ramen with Naruto speed**.

**Rose: Do the disclaimer now TT**

**Two-Tails: You say something Rose**

**Rose: Sigh (Mumbles A mothers work . . . ) Anywho folks I don't own Naruto. . .Thank godness. (He'd probably be more like Charlie Brown if I did.)**

Chapter Nine

After the Rage

After he had calmed down, Naruto began a lazy swim to the shore. He picked up on the chakra signatures waiting there. Iruka and Kakashi. Just great. Now he'd have to put up with a lecture from them as well as having to return the clearing to normal. Well there was one blessing in the situation. Kakashi wouldn't ask any questions about why he'd torn things up so bad. He wasn't that smart . . . or maybe it was that he wasn't involved enough to care. All he'd be concerned about was Naruto fixing the mess he'd made.

He climbed out of the water and took the clothes Kakashi held out to him. Other than a small nod he gave no indication that he recognized either of his senseis. Sitting down to dry off a little he placed the pants and shirt on the ground beside him. Iruka-sensei sat on his left and waited without saying a word. He knew Naruto wasn't ready to talk yet and trying to force him would only make him angry again.

"Make sure he puts the clearing back to it's normal appearance, Sensei." Kakashi said. Then he just turned and walked away. He knew Iruka was better to deal with this then he was. Naruto and Iruka had a bond he knew he'd never have. Fact was Naruto didn't trust him like he did Iruka and although Kakashi tried to pretend it didn't matter it hurt every time the boy shut him out. Yet at the same time he knew it was his own doing. He had paid more attention to the Uchiha's training then he ever had to Naruto's. But he'd known more about how and what to teach the Uchiha. They had the same element and the same eye, thanks to Obito. So he was more suited to teaching the Uchiha than anyone else. His head drooped as he meandered his way back to the village.

On the shore Naruto decided he was dry enough to get dressed again and put his clothes on. Then he and Iruka began the walk back upstream. They arrived in the once peaceful clearing and after a brief exclamation of surprise began setting it to rights. Iruka worked along side Naruto, moving heavy rocks back into their normal positions and forcing the growth of seed pods from destroyed trees. Naruto wrung the excess water out of the saturated ground and directed it back into the stream. It was dark by the time the clearing was back to normal and they were both exhausted and filthy. Putting nature back was a lot harder than destroying it was. When you destroy nature you didn't have to worry about balance. When they were done they sat on the bank to rest before beginning the long trek back to the village proper.

Iruka finally asked, "So you ready to tell me about it?"

"No. It's over now. Sometimes even smart people can be stupid I guess."

"Who was stupid now Naruto?"

"Doesn't matter. It's done and I just have to live with it."

Iruka nodded knowing that he'd get no more out of the boy about it. "Come on. I'll walk you home and we'll get some Ramen on the way."

"You buying?" Naruto perked up.

"Yeah I'll buy but only five bowls. Not much money this close to payday."

"That's cool, Sensei." Naruto jumped to his feet and helped Iruka up.

At Watarimono's house in the village Kakashi sat at the kitchen table observing his new daughters through the doorway. They were in the living room playing a complicated game with a deck of cards and talking in a language he didn't understand.

"What are they saying I wonder? I can't understand a word of it," he asked Watari. She was busy fixing the evening meal and answered him absently. "It's what's known as twin speak. Children of a multiple birth often develop their own language before they learn the language everyone else speaks. If you're around them a lot then you'll pick up a word here and there but only they will ever know exactly what they say."

"So do you know what they are saying right now?"

"Yes. They're talking about you . . . and me. Hey watch your language!" she shouted at the twins. At his raised eyebrow she explained, "I have learned to recognize when they're saying things they shouldn't be and would get in trouble for if it was the common language."

"Oh so they swear in their own language but not in common. Well, I guess that's a blessing." He studied the girls for a few more minutes. "But what exactly are they saying?"

"Oh they're wondering when you are moving in since you stayed here last night and seem to want to stay tonight." Kakashi got a speculative look in his eye but since she was busy at the stove she didn't see it. He had to admit she was a good looking woman and he did enjoy her company but to move in would be the same as committing to the three of them and even though he was sure she didn't lie about them being his daughters he just wasn't sure about giving up his single lifestyle. For one thing a commitment to her and the girls he was sure would mean the permanent loss of his beloved mask and no way was he willing to give that up. There were still too many people alive who remembered his father and not all of them saw the old man in a good light.

The girls came into the kitchen and began setting the table. Watari set dishes full of hot food on the table as the girls placed dishes and silverware down. When everyone was done they ate in silence and after the meal the girls cleared away and did the dishes while Kakashi and Watari retired to the spare room to talk.

Kakashi sat in a chair by the window watching the sun set over the Hokage mountain. Watari could have sat in the chair across from him but she wanted to be closer so she perched on the arm of the chair he sat in. Without thinking about it he snaked an arm around her waist and held her in place while she rested her chin on the top of his head.

"So did you find out what made Naruto so upset today?" he finally asked.

"Umhmm. Tsunade did. She told him he can't go on any more out of town missions until I give the ok. I'm not sure why that should upset him that bad though. Surely your team has been held back from things before to get a mental clearance."

"Uh, yeah. Now I get it and yep he had reason."

She raised her head and twisted around to look at him. "What do you mean? Your team has never had a mental exam before?"

"No, we've had them. It's required when someone is killed during a mission. But the person doing the eval has never been a civilian before. Basically Tsunade just told him that unless he can conform to what a civilian, who doesn't understand ninjas, thinks is normal he'll never be allowed to work as a ninja again. And that means he'll always be stuck here in this village with people who hate him, never having the chance to prove their hate is misplaced."

"Well, what does my being a civilian have to do with anything? People are the same whether they are ninjas or not. We all bleed alike."

Now it was Kakashi's turn to just look at her. "That may be true Watari," he finally said. "But we don't think alike and we never will."

"I'm not sure what you mean by that. I'm sure Ino thinks just the same as anyone young woman. She wants to find a man and settle down and raise a family."

Kakashi quirked his eyebrow at her and said, "She is a ninja. She has been raised as a ninja and no she doesn't think like a civilian girl would about a possible mate and family. She has already made plans for who will tend her children for her while she is out on a mission and who will raise them if she doesn't come home from a mission. That is way more important to a kinoiche than who the father of said children will be. A ninja has a short lifespan as a rule. We all know the chances of us dying in bed old and grey are slim to none so we make plans accordingly. No kinoiche worth her salt would ever abandon her team just because she has a child. They are trained exactly like the boys to be killing machines to ensure the completion of any mission they are given and they know that sometimes that is going to mean they will not make it back home."

"She seems just like any other eighteen year old girl I've met."

"Well, she isn't. Have you noticed when you are with her, she doesn't walk into a room without having already scoped it out? That she never seems to be surprised by who is in said room when she does walk in? That when given her choice, of where to sit, she will always sit with her back to a wall and facing the door and window whenever possible? These are marks of a well-trained kinoiche but not of a civilian. A civilian will never be afraid or even aware of the danger of a mis-thrown kunai but a ninja always will knowing that even an accident can end their life."

Watari wanted to scoff at this but thinking it over she realized he was right. Ino did always sit facing the street and with her back to something solid. Idly she wondered what else she didn't know because she wasn't a ninja. "Ok that may be true for Ino but I still don't see what it has to do with Naruto."

"Naruto was right to be upset because he knows you don't understand. All his life the boy has been hunted and hurt by civilians who think he's evil. And now someone who should know better, someone he respected and trusted, has just told him he has to kowtow to you a mere civilian. He doesn't trust civilians and there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that he should just give you a chance. His whole life has shown him that civilians are idiots who only want to hurt him."

"But, I'm not going to hurt him. That kid has been through enough already. I'm only going to help him," she exclaimed surprised that Kakashi would even think she would hurt a child.

"First off he's not a kid. He's almost eighteen. He's been a man of this village ever since he, Sasuke, and Sakura passed their genin exam. Second how are you not going to hurt him? You propose to rip away his protection from the cruelties of this world and expose him to all of his enemies so they will have more ammunition to cast at him and cause him even more hurt. What you plan to do will hurt him more than any kunai ever could because at least when he gets hit with a kunai the Kyuubi will heal that wound. But who will heal the wounds you'll cause?" Kakashi closed his eye and leaned his head back against the chair. "I'm not saying that Naruto doesn't need to remove his mask. I'm just saying that he won't see it that way. To him, you are going to hurt him more than anyone else ever has."

Watari sat letting the silence grow as darkness filled the room. She had never looked at the work she did in such a negative light but she couldn't deny that what he'd said made sense. Finally she whispered, "Kashi? You don't think I'll hurt him do you?"

"I think that anyone who tries to make Naruto remove his mask is going to hurt him. But I think a lot of others will get hurt also. His mask doesn't just protect him. It protects us all and I'm not sure any of us are really ready to see underneath the underneath where he is concerned."

"Why? What could he be hiding under it that would be that frightening?"

Again Kakashi gave her a look that questioned her intelligence. "You're kidding right?" he asked. She shook her head. He sighed and closed his eye again. "Naruto has been hiding under that mask since his academy days. A lot of people have mistreated him and others have done things they wish they hadn't myself included. But I get the feeling that he really doesn't like very many of us here. For all that he seems to like us all, and forgive those who cause him even momentary hurts, I'm not altogether sure that he actually does. He's been my genin since he was twelve and I don't really understand him any better today than I did then."

Watari stood up and said, "I need to get the girls to bed. Are you going to stay tonight?"

From his chair, Kakashi nodded before turning to stare out the window again. She couldn't help but notice his back was to the wall and from where he sat he could not only see out the window but every square inch of the room. Funny she'd never noticed this tendency before. She normally noticed everything a person she was working with did. Maybe there were things about being a ninja she didn't know or understand.


	10. Chapter 10

**Two Tails:Is standing behind Rose cracking a whips: Shh she's working here people!**

**Rose: Put that thing away. You're cracking it doesn't make my fingers move any faster.**

**Two-Tails: But it's fun.**

**Rose: Then go get a job at the circus since you forgot to do my disclaimer again.**

**Two-Tails: Dis - what?**

**Rose: You know that thing where you tell them I don't actually get paid for this.**

**Two-Tails: You don't? Then how are you gonna pay me?**

**Rose: (Anime Sweatdrop) I don't own Naruto folks but unfortunately I have to claim Two-Tails. (Runs off crying)**

Chapter Ten

A Day Off

After dinner at Ichiraku's with Iruka, Naruto had gone home and cleaned his apartment. Then he had hit the shower and washed as much of the dirt from his clothes and himself as he could. He hung his jumpsuit over the shower rod to dry and tidied the bathroom before heading to his small, sparsely decorated bedroom.He flipped on the small light on his rickety bedside table and pulled his journal from it's hiding spot behind his headboard and began to write. He didn't write about the destruction he caused or even how angry he'd gotten. Even in his journal he couldn't bring himself to show his negative emotions. Instead his journal entries were more like one-sided conversations with the Fourth

_This burden I bear has grown so heavy. I long to rest; To just set it down but how can I when you trusted me to carry it forever; To keep it locked away for all my days. Rest. . . how nice that would be but I know I can't cause if I rest he might break free and you're trust will have been misplaced. I can't let you down even though I never knew who you were. I wish I had. Then I might understand. But like so many other things I know I never will. I'll just keep going one day at a time carrying this burden that is too heavy to bear trusting that you knew what you were doing when you gave it to me._

_Sometimes I think the villagers are right. I am a demon. But then I see my reflection and know I'm not. Not yet. I'm still human but I wonder for how much longer. It's getting harder to resist. Harder not to listen. And Kami help me when I do listen I can see his side of things. And I can't help but think that's bad. He's evil. That's what I've always been told but yet. . .he's good to me most of the time. I know it just might be self-preservation on his part but when I'm hurt it's him who heals me. When people try to poison me it's he who gets rid of it before I can take an injury and when I fight and I run out of chakra he gives me his. If this was all he did for me then yeah it'd just be self-preservation but it isn't._

_He talks to me also when I'm bored. He tells me what to read to learn more than I know and when I have a problem he helps me work it through. When I hurt he tries to take my pain away. Isn't that something a parent would do? I know I should hate him. All the villagers say so but how do you hate the one who cares for you? How do you hate the only one who ever did when you know there's no one else who will step in and fill that role?_

Naruto set the pen down and allowed the scroll to roll itself up before he shut off his bedside light and laid down on his bed. It was about two o'clock in the morning and he really should have been asleep hours ago but although he was tired from his training, he made it a point to write something in his journal every chance he got. Who knew how his life would turn out or when it might end. Someday there might be someone who would care to read what he had thought of his own life. Probably not but one never knew. And he knew better than most that nothing was impossible. After all, he had thought it was impossible for Sakura to reach a point where she didn't see him as her personal punching bag any more but she seemed to have. At least she hadn't hit him for the last couple of days no matter what silly and foolish thing he had said so it was possible that someone else might actually think he'd had some worthwhile thoughts.

He drifted into sleep and tried to dream of nice things but of course his burden had definite ideas about what was appropriate for him to dream about. Bloodshed and more bloodshed. As gruesome as only the Fox could make it and each bloody object was clearly defined as a person with a leaf forehead protector. Most commonly it was Tsunade who laid in the midst of all the bloodshed. The Fox wanted to destroy the Leaf and he tried every night to influence his host enough to cause him to go on a rampage against his enemies. In his dreams whoever had been mean to him that day or who had done something to anger him was featured in his dreams. So even though he was supposed to be resting and recharging his body he wasn't. He fought the Fox and just because it was a mental battle didn't mean it was any less taxing on him than if it had been a physical battle. The only physical evidence of this battle that took place every night were the expressions on his face and the times when he tensed and tossed around in his bed. But since he lived alone no one was witness to the struggle. And Naruto was so used to it that he didn't bother to talk of it any more. In fact he tried his best just to forget the dream battles entirely. Except for the fact that he delayed going to bed for as long as he could and would awaken within a few short hours of falling asleep, even he didn't give any acknowledgment to his nightly terrors. He ignored the dark shadows that were growing under his eyes.

He awoke at five in the morning and vainly tried to go back to sleep but the dream had been especially vivid and as angry as he had been at Tsunade he really hadn't liked seeing her die over and over again. After a few minutes he gave up and went to get his morning shower. He pulled his still damp jumpsuit on and by five thirty he was at the practice field working out with his bushins. He was practicing his genjutsus with about twenty of them on the left side of the clearing and his taijutsu with another twenty in the center of the field. Ten were trying to see if there was a way to improve his rasengan at the back of the field while another ten were trying to improve and modify the earth control moves Jiraiya had finally made it possible for him to learn. Sixty bushins weren't a lot for him on a normal day but today he was too tired to summon any more of them. He spent about four hours practicing his moves before he noticed the town had awakened and people were beginning to move about on the streets of Konoha. He was tired and more than a little bit hungry and so decided to make his way home for breakfast. Gama-chan was too empty to afford a trip to Ichiraku's.

Once back in his run-down but clean apartment he set a pan on to boil and went to take another shower. Back in his trusty jumpsuit with a fresh t-shirt, he headed into his kitchen where he made his ramen. The three min wait for it to be ready to eat was annoyingly connected to an impatient stomach that just flat out didn't care about having to prepare food before ingesting it. Finally it was done and Naruto inhaled the small cup of noodle heaven. Only as he was throwing the disposable cup into the garbage can did he realize he'd burnt his tongue. . .again. Sighing he got a glass of cool water and drank it to ease the sting. Then he pondered what to do with the rest of his day. Sakura had to do her shift at the hospital and then she'd be training with the Hokage so bugging her was out of the question. Kakashi was gone on a mission with some other jounins so he couldn't be bothered either. Iruka was teaching and although he knew Iruka wouldn't say anything against it he really didn't like for Naruto to show up while school was in session. He just couldn't get over needing to worry about Naruto's safety while he was on the academy grounds. So that didn't leave anyone except the Hokage herself and Sasuke but Naruto wasn't in the mood to bother either of them today. Sasuke would only provoke a fight which he really didn't have the energy for and Tsunade would be annoying with her questions of when he was going to meet with her friend.

Instead he picked up his guitar and plucked the strings as quietly as he could. Still one of his neighbors pounded on the wall. What was he doing home today anyway? Why wasn't he at work already? He glared in that direction and decided to just go somewhere else to play for a bit.

So he tucked his journal into an inside pocket of his jacket and a couple of seconds later he was in the cave he'd found behind a waterfall in a secluded spot in Konoha. Konoha had a lot of hidden secluded spots but this was Naruto's favorite spot.

When he had decided to use this cave as his get-away spot he had rummaged through a lot of dumpsters to find enough furniture to outfit it comfortably. He had found an old futon and a small table with a matching stool. The stool was a low one once he trimmed the legs to an even height but it was perfect for sitting close to the small fire in the center of the cave. He also had a rod suspended from the back wall of the cave with an extra jumpsuit and a couple of t-shirts hanging from it. The Fox had shown him a sealing jutsu so he could block prying eyes and moisture from his cave and he left the cave sealed every time he came here so noone else would find his shelter. Now he sat down on the small stool and positioned his guitar comfortably.

In this cave, he dropped the happy mask he wore in the village or anywhere normal people could see him. In this cave he could remember who he really was. He'd made a deal with himself never to be false when he was here in the cave. Surrounded by the things that truly reflected who he was he couldn't be someone else even if he'd wanted to. And so he played his guitar and sang along using his true voice. As he sang, he peered through the waterfall at the Hokage mountain studying the face he saw there. The song he sang had no title because Naruto hadn't bothered to give it one.

Verse one

They say the greatest hero is someone you never know until they're gone.

No matter that you've known their name for years

Their sacrifice you'll never see until they're gone

and it's too late to say thank-you

And I guess that's true

cause I never knew you at all

and yet your sacrifice is something I see

all too clearly

cause your sacrifice was me.

chorus

You sacrificed me

and it made you a hero

to all of them

cause in doing that

you gave your life

verse two

You are my greatest hero, someone I never knew thanks to the path you chose

But your name is one I've always known

and your sacrifice is my burden to carry

until I too shall pass away

I'm not a hero

cause I never had the choice

to make this sacrifice everyone can see

including me

But what did you leave for me.

Chorus

You sacrificed me

and it made you a hero

to all of them

cause in doing that

you gave your life

verse three

The path that you chose left me alone without a hope and only lonely tears

to try and live my life as you would wish

carrying this burden you handed to me

until I can finally find peace.

I'll never be the hero

but I can't say that I mind.

One sacrifice in a lifetime is enough to bear

Too bad they can't see

The prize you left for me.

Chorus

You sacrificed me

and it made you a hero

to all of them

cause in doing that

you gave your life.

And mine too. . .

Mine too. . .

His playing trailed away a few moments later. He just sat cradling his guitar as the tears he rarely showed flowed over his cheeks and dripped onto the bright orange material of his jacket. Unknown to him someone had heard him. The jutsu he used to hide the cave wasn't sound-proof and someone else who had need of this kind of shelter had found it not long after he had.

Hinata sat outside the cave on the grassy bank of the waterfall pond and let her tears fall at the loneliness and despair she had heard in his song. Of course she knew who it was. She had followed him here more than once. To her, his song wasn't true at all. He was a hero. Her hero and he always had been. Not everyone was too blind to see how wonderful he really was and while becoming a hero might be about the choices one makes, she knew he made those choices every day. She wondered if she'd ever find the courage to tell him how wrong he was. She didn't know but maybe someday. For now she'd just sit and wait for another song. His voice was wonderfully deep and melodic. She made herself comfortable and closed her eyes listening to the tinkle of the waterfall as it splashed it's way into the pool. It wasn't long before he began to play again and she fell asleep listening to how the music and his voice blended with the tinkling of the water.

Inside the cave Naruto closed his eyes and just let his hands take control. When he played the guitar even the Fox settled down and became calmer. It seemed the demon liked music especially when it was just music. How long he sat and played he couldn't say but when he finally stopped it was dark outside. He fell to his side on the futon, knowing the Fox would let him rest tonight. After all he'd given the monster several hours worth of quality music to enjoy.

**Author Notes: **As always let me know what you think.

**Two Tails: Awh slight Naru/Hina Fluff! Yatta!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Rose: Once again I get to do my own Disclaimer ( mumbles; lazy good for nothing Son)**

**Two-Tails: I heard that.**

**Rose: Well at least your ears work. Too bad your typing fingers seem to be broke.**

**Two-Tails: (looks at fingers) Huh?**

**Rose: you didn't do the disclaimer. . . again**

**Two-Tails: Well they should know it by now.**

**Rose: Doesn't matter if they do. I don't own Naruto folks. He's too well behaved to be one of mine.**

**Two-Tails (and brothers)**: **Hey! We know how to behave!**

**Rose: sweatdrop**

Chapter Eleven

Where'd he disappear

_Same day as Chapter Ten_

Watarimono woke with Kakashi at her side. Since it was a Saturday she didn't have to get the girls ready for school but that didn't mean she got to take the day off. She still had work to do and it was time she got started working with Naruto. Since he now knew she'd have to clear him for any out-of-town missions it shouldn't be that hard to make the boy work with her. She woke Kakashi and asked him where she might find Naruto today.

He blinked and shrugged as he sat up in her comfortable bed. He watched as she got up and gathered her things to get ready for the day. No matter that he knew she had an agenda, this was a show he never tired of watching. Watari never wore clothes to bed and as she gathered her clothes for the day he got several interesting views of her body. If he hadn't have seen her children with his own eyes it would have taken a very persuasive person to convince him she had them.

"Kashi, where would he go to if he knew he couldn't leave town? It's time I got to work with him and I mean to begin today." She stood in front of her dresser with her clothes in her hands.

"Honestly I don't know. He'll work out for a few hours but after that it's anyone's guess where he goes. Sometimes he'll go find others from his graduating class and sometimes he just disappears. You could try asking his friends. They might know where he is."

"Hmm. . . You know Kashi, I'm really beginning to wonder about your training of him."

Surprised Kakashi asked, "What? What do you mean by that?"

"If I'd have asked you where I might find the Uchiha boy today you would probably know exactly where I should look at any given hour. Same with the Haruno girl but with the Uzumaki boy. . ." An eye twitch gave Kakashi away. She was right he did know exactly how Sasuke would spend his day off and he knew that even though there wasn't a mission for team seven, Sakura would be busy with training under Tsunade and then a shift at the hospital followed by several hours of studying medical texts. But as for Naruto, he really had no clue. Jiraiya was in town but that didn't mean Naruto would be with him. Normally when they were in town it would only be for a few hours and Naruto would make contact with the other Rookie Nine, spending as much time with them as he could before Jiraiya would rush him out of town again.

"Well since team seven has pretty much split off under different senseis it's a lot harder to predict what each of them will be doing on a rarity such as having an unexpected day off. I am Sasuke's trainer so yeah I do know where he'll be. But I am not really the trainer of either Sakura or Naruto any more. They each have a Sannin training them and that is the person who will know where either of them are," he told her.

"Hmm. If you say so. Well, I'm going to get my shower now. Can you watch the girls for awhile today? They want to spend some time with you."

Kakashi nodded, watching her hips sway as she walked to the bathroom. She really had a nice rear-end.

Half an hour later, Watarimono was out on the streets looking for Naruto while Kakashi sat in her apartment watching TV with his daughters. It was about ten o'clock and she wandered the streets of the village idly wondering where the boy would go. She stopped in at the Flower Shop to see Ino once again working the counter. "Ino, where would I find Naruto today?"

Ino shrugged. "If he isn't working in one of the training fields or off on a mission you might find him with Jiraiya-Sensei."

"And where would I find Jiraiya-san?"

"Probably peeping on women bathing or doing something else disgusting. At least that's what Naruto says he spends his free time doing."

"Ok so the bathhouses are a good place to look. Thanks Ino. Are you free to tag along today?"

Ino shook her head. "Not right now. Dad had to go pick up a delivery and Mom wanted some time to spend with her friends so I promised to watch the store for them."

"You're a good daughter. I'll see you later then." Watarimono made her way to the women's hot springs and looked for Jiraiya-san around the back side of the building where the women changed their clothes but for once the old pervert wasn't there. She went back to town and checked the adult bookstore but he wasn't there either. Sheesh. Jiraiya was just as hard to find as Naruto, she thought and both were such unlikely looking people that being able to hide like this should have been impossible for either of them. Just how many people were there with white hair that reached damn near to the ground were there anyway? In his own way Jiraiya dressed just as outrageously as Naruto did yet in a community of mostly dark haired, dark-eyed people, a blue-eyed blond was nowhere to be found. Slowly she meandered the streets looking into every alleyway hoping to just run across either of her targets. Soon she found herself at the base of the Hokage Tower and thought, "Maybe Tsu knows where he'd be." She went up and knocked on her door and got permission to enter.

Surprise surprise. There sat Jiraiya on a window sill. "Well, I've been looking for you all over town, Master Jiraiya," she said.

"You have? And just why would you be looking for me on this fine morning?" he suavely replied.

"Because I am trying to track down your student and I'm hoping you'll know where he'd be. Kashi didn't know where Naruto goes on his time off but he said since you're his trainer now that you might."

"Nope. Don't know where the Gaki goes to. He's good at disappearing when he wants to though so I'd say if you haven't found him yet you're not going to," was Jiraiya's answer.

Watarimono nearly stomped her foot in frustration. "That's not good enough. How can I work with the boy if I can't even find him? As his teacher aren't you supposed to know where he is at all times?"

"Someone forgot to tell Naruto that. Look usually I do know where he is but we also don't stay in the village this long and the Gaki feels safe here so he lets his guard down and forgets to tell me when he plans to be somewhere else. He has his friends here and his routine. He doesn't feel that he has to come and tell me every time he wants to switch locations for a few hours. You might try asking Iruka where he'd be. Heck, he might even be with Iruka. He's sat in on the classes before just to be able to say he got to spend time with his old Sensei."

Watarimono looked to Tsunade who nodded and said, "That's true. Iruka is like a big brother to Naruto and really does seem to like having the Gaki around. It's very possible that he will be there especially since the Third's grandson is part of Iruka's class this year."

"Who's the third's grandson and why would that make any difference to Naruto?"

"Konohamaru really likes and looks up to Naruto. He says Naruto is the first person who actually saw him and not just the Honorable Grandson of the Third Hokage. He and Naruto have much the same relationship as Iruka and Naruto."

"So Naruto has a lot of places and people he could spend a day off with then. This could make finding him difficult but I really think you should know exactly where he is Master Jiraiya."

Jiraiya just looked at her and kept his thoughts to himself as she turned and left the room.

Inside the office, Tsunade cast a sideways look at her old teammate and said, "You do have some idea where he is, don't you?"

Jiraiya looked at her and nodded. "She won't find him if he doesn't want her to."

"And why didn't you tell her that?"

"Because she would have insisted that I take her to him to force him to deal with her. I won't do that. I will not help you destroy the Gaki, Tsunade-hime. You already told him he can't leave town until she clears him so he'll find her when he's ready. You're both just going to have to live with that."

Tsunade frowned but she knew she wouldn't change Jiraiya's mind on this. The Fox had told them to leave the situation alone and Jiraiya trusted the demon for some odd reason. She didn't know that he'd long ago found and read Naruto's journal and so knew how much the Fox was doing to actually take care of his vessel from Naruto's point of view. And while Jiraiya didn't know about the cave behind the waterfall, he had known Naruto disappeared somewhere after several hours of practice and a brief stop at his apartment.

Watarimono left the Tower and made her way to the academy before she stopped and thought for a minute. It was Saturday. There weren't any classes today so it made no sense that Iruka would be there or that Naruto would be sitting in on a class. Turning on her heel she marched back up the stairs to the Hokage's office and went straight in without knocking.

"It's Saturday," she proclaimed. "Where would Iruka be on a Saturday?"

Jiraiya wiggled his fingers at Tsunade and vanished with a poof of smoke. Tsunade looked at her friend and said, "Maybe at his apartment. Here I'll give you his address." She wrote it down on a stray slip of paper and handed it to her. "I really don't think he's there though."

"Why not?"

"Because if he was, I don't think Jiraiya would have mentioned him to you. Jiraiya thinks we should listen to the Fox so I don't think he'll help you break down Naruto's walls in any way shape or form. And telling you that he might be with someone he is with would be helping you."

"Why is everyone who knows this kid so against this, Tsu? Last night Kashi said I was going to hurt him by doing this and he said Naruto had every right to be ticked when he found out about my having to approve him before he could get more missions. I don't understand." She flopped down in a chair in front of Tsunade's desk and rested her head on one fist.

Tsunade took a deep breath and looked at her friend. "Wata, a lot of it is because you can't see a mask on someone without trying to get rid of it. In civilian life, someone wearing a mask is a person who is hurting and maybe it is in their best interest to get rid of it but that isn't true for ninjas. Sometimes we put a mask over something that could get us or our teammates killed if it was visible to others. Like Kakashi's face. He wears that mask to cover his face because he looks so much like his father that not only will his team have to deal with his enemies they'd have to deal with his father's enemies as well. With his mask, he's only the Copy-nin. The man who has copied a thousand jutsu's but without it he's the son of the White Fang. And the WhiteFang had just as many if not more enemies as the Copy-nin does."

"He's the son of the White Fang? I didn't know that. Even I've heard of him."

Tsunade laughed. "Now imagine that he is taking a raw team of genin on their first mission out of town and doesn't have that mask on to help hide his features. They run across bandits just out for what they can get but one of them recognizes his face and thinks he's seeing the White Fang instead of his son. What do you think they are gonna do? The White Fang is still in the Bingo Book and he is worth a lot of money to anyone who can bring in proof that he is dead."

"So he does have a practical reason for wearing that mask outside of the village but that still doesn't mean he needs to wear it twenty-four / seven. He could remove it here in the village if he wanted to."

"Wata, I'm not saying he doesn't have some issues you could help him with I'm just saying that just because a ninja is wearing a mask doesn't mean they need to take it all the way off. Civilians don't have to worry about their secret killing them or killing a friend. A ninja does. And that's why so many people who know Naruto are afraid of what you propose to do. Even though I asked you to come here and help him I have to admit I'm worried also. No one knows what's under his mask and none of us are sure we can handle what you uncover. We're not sure that we'll still be able to keep him alive once the council sees what he has been hiding."

"The Council? What do they have to do with anything?"

"Naruto's existence is a thorn in their side. They didn't want him trained as a ninja in the first place. The Third had to argue strongly for it, saying that the boy had enemies outside the village who wouldn't stop at just taking him out. Those enemies would also take out a lot of civilians in the battle to kill Naruto. I don't know exactly what the Third said to win Naruto a place in the academy but the council has been regretting that decision every day since then."

"They are afraid of him. Afraid he will release the Demon and turn it loose on the town. They're afraid that the Demon will consume him and rampage the town. They are afraid Naruto is already the Demon he contains and they're just waiting for him to finish what the Fox started all those years ago."

"One of the most constant battles I have with the council is the battle to keep Naruto alive, well and free. As he's grown in skill and power, the council has become more vocal in their wish to curtail his freedom. Naruto's supporters and I fight daily for it not to happen but if they had their way Naruto would be locked up in the tightest security cell the prison has to offer under so many restraints he'd have a hard time maintaining enough chakra just to stay alive. Some of the council want this because it would allow them to pull him out as a special weapon to be used against any attacking force but others are hoping that not being able to maintain his chakra well would eventually kill him. Thereby leaving their hands clear of his blood."

Both women were silent for a bit. Tsunade opened a drawer and pulled out her sake bottle. She set out two saucer and the warmer plate for the sake. When it was warm she poured a measure into each saucer and indicated that Wata should take one while she picked up the other. In one gulp she downed hers and set the saucer back down.

"I love that boy as if he were my own little brother. . .or maybe a nephew but I have to admit I have no clue who he really is under that mask. And that not knowing hinders me with the council. That's why I really want you to try and find out."

Watarimono had moved her saucer to her side of the desk but she hadn't drank any of it. "You do know once I convince someone to remove even a part of their mask it's very hard for them to put it back on, don't you? If you really want me to do this I will do it but there's no chance he will be able to cover up what gets exposed again."

Tsunade nodded and said, "I knew when I sent you that letter that I would have to live with what you find. And I knew then that it might not be in Naruto's best interest to have it exposed but he hides too much and that isn't in his best interest either. We, he and I, need a compromise. I need to see enough of the real Naruto to know that he's healthy and he needs to show enough of who he really is to know that he isn't a bad person. That the Demon isn't him. And that who he is, is a person his friends will still like."

"So then my goal with him isn't to get rid of his mask but just to chip it enough to allow some of who he is to shine through. Enough chips to be sure he is sane but not enough to expose everything. Difficult but not impossible, I suppose." She looked outside and said, "I guess I'll just head home and see how Kashi has made out with the girls today."

Tsunade grinned. "Tell me how is he liking being a father?"

Watarimono grinned back and said, "He fainted when we told him but now he is constantly watching them when he thinks no one knows it. He's at the house every chance he gets and I don't think I am the sole attraction."

"So he likes the idea. I kindof thought he would once he got used to it. So when are you planning to make it official?"

"Why, Tsu, I don't know what you mean," said Watarimono.

"Hm. You know he's been a bachelor long enough. It's time he settled down and you also. You've spent enough time wandering the globe and those girls need a permanent home."

"Now you sound like my Dad. I'm not ready to get tied down even if it is to Kashi. The girls can still have their father without me having to give up my freedom so there's no need to rush anything."

Quickly so that her friend wouldn't have a chance to dodge it Tsunade ran a medical scan over her. Sure enough Watarimono saw the green glow on Tsunade's hand and tried to move out of range but Tsunade reached out and grabbed her arm. Once she was done with the exam, she said, "You might want to think about that a little more carefully."

Watarimono narrowed her eyes as she spun around to go home. "You keep your mouth shut, Tsu. This is my life and no one will tell me how to live it."

Behind her Tsunade grinned. It seemed to her that her friend had a few issues of her own to work on. I wonder if she realizes she herself wears a mask, she thought as she pulled another set of request forms off the stack of them piled high on her desk and began to read.

**Two Tails : HA SERVES HER RIGHT! Ahem . err yeah... nevermind...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author Notes: Ok I'm back with another chapter.**

Chapter Twelve

When Naruto woke after getting a solid four hours of nightmare free sleep he pulled out his journal scroll and recorded the events that led him to be sheltering in his hidden cave. Then he took his kettle to the waterfall and refilled it before hanging it over the fire to heat up. From his bag he pulled out a random cup of ramen and sat back down on the stool to wait for his breakfast. He thought about the past couple of days and everything that had happened. He was still tired but not as tired as he'd been when he had gone to Oba-chan's office for a new mission. It still bothered him that she wouldn't give him one. At least not until he passed that strangers evaluation anyway. He hated meeting with civilian strangers. Oba-chan should have known that by now. It didn't help that time was running out until that stupid festival. His thoughts whirled in circles as he tried to find a loophole.

"Fox?" he asked, walking through the familiar corridors of his mind. "You awake?" He came to the last turn before the cage that held the great demon. One blood-red eye peered at him but the great Fox was laying down with his head resting on his front paws.

"**Kit, I'm tired. What do you want now?" **rumbled the deep voice sounding more like rocks grinding against each other in a creek bed.

"I just wanted to talk. I'm going in circles trying to figure it out alone. But if you're too tired I guess I'll just go figure it out on my own." He turned to leave but the Fox stopped him.

Sigh. . .**"Sit Kit. Your chaotic thoughts aren't making rest easy. I really do not understand how you puny humans have survived at all if your mind is any indication of what's normal for your species." **Kyuubi lifted his head and gave a vigorous shake before laying it back down. **"So what exactly is the problem that's got your tail in such a twist anyway?"**

"Oba-chan won't let me leave the village until I talk to this friend of hers. That wouldn't be so bad except the friend is a civilian and takes an abnormal delight in exposing secrets. I don't want anything to do with her. I spent too long building our protection to let someone tear it all down."

"**Hmm. . .How do you know she'll tear our wall down? Maybe she'll understand why we built it in the first place." **Kyuubi knew all about the woman and he had already told her to leave his Kit alone. No wonder the boy was upset. Once again the stupid humans weren't listening. Without intending to he growled and stood up. His tails flared out behind him as he began to pace in the small space of his cave. Two steps this way and four that way before turning to take two more steps back the way he'd come. The cage was really too small for effective pacing but it was all he had until the Kit figured out how to make his cage larger. The Kit was watching him pace so he said, "**Kit your kettle is ready. Go eat and try to rest some more. I'll get back to you when I've thought of an answer."**

"Kyuubi? You do a lot of pacing don't you?" Naruto had his head cocked to one side and was looking thoughtfully at the space inside the cage. "Is there anyway to give you more space with out destroying my mind or the seal? You know I will not do anything that will let you out."

A deep rumble that could only be demon laughter, filled the mental corridor. **"There is but I'm not sure you're ready to do any tinkering in your mind. You would have to shape the mental landscape to allow me more room taking it from the unused portions of your brain. But there's a reason they are unused Kit and it'd be very dangerous for you to go messing around without knowing what each area is for. Just leave it alone for now and go make your food."**

"Ok, Fox." Naruto walked away looking at each hallway of his mind as he exited the mental landscape and came back to reality. He poured the boiling water into his cup of ramen and covered it with a cloth to let the noodles steep. When the three minutes were up he ate quickly and threw the empty cup into his small fire. Then he went back to his futon and laid back down. He knew he should go back to his apartment but he really didn't want to. That woman knew where he lived. Even if Tsunade Oba-chan hadn't told her someone else would have.

He drifted off into sleep and it wasn't long before he began tossing and turning. Sweat rolled off him in waves. His mind was filled with pictures of his village destroyed. Bodies and parts of bodies were strewn everywhere, each one more grizzly than the last. He tried his hardest not to look at them, knowing full well that each would be someone he knew but it was no use. Even if he didn't know the names that went along with the faces he knew that each body belonged to someone he'd recognize. It was no use. When he wouldn't voluntarily look the bodies went into motion, leaving trails of fresh blood in their wake. They danced into his view and swayed in front of him, each part calling him a murderer, their murderer. Even parts that shouldn't be able to speak at all did so. Mouths appeared where they shouldn't have and spewed the hate forth. Weapons jutted from skin as the crush of body parts pressed in on him. He tried to flee but the body parts wouldn't let him get away. Sharp objects pierced his flesh and he began to scream. Tears ran down his cheeks and screams tore his throat to ribbons but the images wouldn't go away. Over and over he suffered as the jagged wounds healed and were made anew.

In his cage the Fox cursed as he sensed the Kit's life force tremble. What the hell was the Kit doing now? Quickly the Fox took a look around. Immediately he saw the boy was asleep on his bed and understood what the problem was. Damn. He never should have tried to punish the Kit like this. The Kit had no more choice in the sealing than he'd had. Why had he done this to the boy he thought as he raced into the dreamscape to try and wake the boy. As if those stupid villagers hadn't tortured the kid enough for the both of them anyway. One by one he cornered the images and banished them. It wasn't as easy as it might seem. Each villager had to be reconstructed before he or she could be banished and the Kit was watching as the Fox reassembled them all. Kyuubi knew the Kit recognized each person but what really upset him was when he saw one of the images was his Oba-chan. The Kit collapsed, crying and screaming, without tears or sound. Even the Kyuubi was disturbed by how deep that image hurt him. OH Crap he thought. He tried to fill the Kit's head with pleasant images but over each one was the nightmare image of Tsunade. The Kit couldn't forget it and he was bringing it back every time Kyuubi banished it. Finally the Fox gave up and just sent the Kit into a sleep that was too deep for dreams or nightmares.

He snarled at himself. He was just as bad as those stupid villagers who taunted and tortured him every time they saw him. Who got themselves rip-roaring drunk and then went looking for him to feel like they were real men. Who overcharged him for simple things that they knew he had to have to live while knowing full well he had no choice but to pay their price. He hated this place with all it's phobias and prejudices but he knew the torment he'd given the Kit for the crime of being his vessel was ten times worse, no make that a hundred times worse than anything the whole blasted place could have ever done to him.

In another area of town Watarimono was once again looking for her patient. Where the heck could that kid be? She'd checked his apartment but he didn't answer the door and all the lights were off. She'd checked the ramen stand, his training ground where he trained with his team and the one he used when he wanted to train alone. She'd walked to each of his friends homes to see if any of them had seen him, to which none had or would admit they had, anyway. It really irritated her that all his friends seemed to not want to help him. Well, Pinky had offered to go to his place and see if he was hiding under the bed or in a closet but Pinky wasn't someone Watarimono thought of as Naruto's friend. Now she and Ino were just walking around town hoping to spot the boy somewhere, anywhere.

"Ino, has he ever just vanished like this before?"

Ino shook her head. "Well, I mean he used to disappear before but only after he'd pulled a major prank on someone and everyone was looking for him to punish him for it. But he was always found in a short amount of time and he never tried to wiggle out of the punishment once he was caught. Then of course when he has to be in town for the Festival no one can ever find him. He disappears then and doesn't show again until the next afternoon. No one can hide like Naruto can." She finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Why does he disappear during the Festival? Most kids like celebrations."

"Don't know but he doesn't disappear during the festival. He is gone before it begins."

Watarimono sighed and stopped walking. "Well, let's go see if we can work with the Uchiha then since we have no idea where the Uzumaki is. Maybe I can help him at least."

"What exactly are we supposed to do for Sasuke? You never did explain," asked Ino, turning around and heading for the training grounds Team Seven usually used when they were all in town.

"The goal with Sasuke is to get him to where he can express his emotions. He has them but years of burying them has made it near impossible for him to express any of them except for his rage. That he expresses by beating up Naruto but I would like to see him smiling and talking more. My understanding is that he rarely if ever has much to say about anything."

Ino thought it over and then said, "You know he does talk. I was out for a stroll one night and I came across this lake. It looked so pretty in the moonlight I sat for a bit just staring at the play of the moonbeams on the surface. Water, especially still water, carries sound very well. I heard voices coming across the water and so I looked at the other shore. Sasuke was sitting with Naruto on a pier over the water. They were talking together about being alone. That's something the two of them would understand better than anyone else in this village. We all have someone we can go to but the two of them don't. That night I think I finally got an idea what sets the two of them apart. I think I finally began to understand that what sets them apart from the rest of us is also what draws them together. They have a bond formed by loss none of us can comprehend." It was a long statement for Ino to make and she was a little embarrassed by it as it didn't fit with her image of the air-headed blonde that only cared about fashion.

Watarimono looked at the girl from the corner of her eye and smirked at the faint traces of a blush that graced her cheeks. "So you pay more attention then you let on huh?"

Ino shrugged one shoulder. "Eh. We all have secrets we keep. Sometimes though it is necessary to be aware of the secrets someone is keeping so that you don't expect them to do something they won't do. Like Shika. I know he's super smart but he hates to waste his energy so he won't do anything that isn't necessary. That doesn't mean he won't fight for a friend or for himself. But he won't take steps he doesn't need to take like helping you find Naruto."

"Hmm. Maybe that's true but Naruto needs help and I can give it to him. The sooner he gets help the better off he'll be. So that should necessitate finding him."

"Not for Shika. Shika knows that when Naruto is ready he'll come find you. Naruto has never disobeyed a direct order from the Hokage before so Shika knows he won't do so now. Tsunade-sama ordered Naruto to get cleared by you so he has no choice but to do so. And Shika knows that helping us find him won't produce any results if Naruto isn't ready."

They had arrived at the training grounds to find two thirds of the team ready to end their training for the day. One look at Sasuke was enough to tell Watarimono how angry the boy was.

Sakura took off her gloves and put them in the pouch at her waist while giving Sasuke a sweet smile. "Sasuke want to go get something to eat? It's past lunch time and we've been working hard this morning."

Sasuke didn't answer as he turned to walk over to Kakashi-sensei. "Dobe?"

Kakashi looked up at him for a minute without answering. Sakura joined them and said, "Well, I don't care really where he is. Practice went much smoother without his annoying comments and yelling. Besides why does it matter? All he does is pick on you and call you names. Then he tries to fight you to show how strong he is but we all know it isn't even his strength. He doesn't have any real strength of his own to use."

Sasuke looked at her like she was lower than a bug under a rock. "Tch. . .You're so annoying." Then he turned back to Kakashi with and eyebrow raised still waiting for an answer to his question.

"I don't know where he is Sasuke. All I know is he didn't like what he was told the other day and now no one can find him." Sasuke frowned. He was more than a little worried about Naruto.

"So basically he's gone off to pout and make a scene like any spoilt child just because he has to do something he doesn't want to," Sakura ranted. "Well, if I know that loud-mouth he's probably hiding in his apartment just trying to get everyone worried enough to let him off the hook. I'll find him and drag his butt where ever he needs to be." She stormed off towards town and Naruto's apartment, muttering under her breath about loud-mouth spoilt little blond idiots who were more trouble than they were worth.

Behind her Sasuke glared holes in her back. If looks could do physical damage Sakura would have been sporting about a hundred kunai between her shoulder blades. Luckily they couldn't and she went on her way without a clue as to how much she'd just ticked off her other teammate and sensei.

"Don't worry about it Sasuke. She won't find him unless he wants her to. Naruto has spent more time hiding from her than almost anyone else in town."

"Hn. . ." Sasuke fumed, his eyes still spitting kunai in the direction the kunoichi had disappeared. All Kakashi could do was nod his head in agreement. Both of them knew Sakura had made the biggest mistake of her life in underestimating Naruto and his character and both half hoped they'd be around on the day he let her know just how wrong she was. The other half of them wanted to be as far away as they could get suspecting that Sakura wouldn't survive the lesson intact.

Watarimono and Ino strolled over and Watarimono said, "Pinky sure thinks highly of herself. I wonder what she plans to do when he won't open his apartment door."

Sasuke snorted. "Bust her way in."

"And he let her?" Watarimono looked shocked.

"He's used to it. Most the civilians treat him like that. He's nothing to them and nothing doesn't deserve any privacy or respect," Kakashi said.

"So he sees her barging into his apartment as a civilian move? I wonder if that means to him she is a civilian. . ." She pondered the statement for a couple of minutes never noticing how startled the ninja around her were. "Anyway, Sasuke are you ready to begin your sessions now? The sooner we get started the sooner you can go on missions again."

"Hn," He shrugged. The four of them walked over towards the bridge where team seven usually met up at the beginning of the day whenever they were in town. When they got there Kakashi asked, "Sasuke, do you want me to stay or do you want to do this in private?"

Watarimono shot a look of outrage at Kakashi but he turned a blind eye to it as he waited for Sasuke's answer. "Stay."

So Kakashi sat on the grass bank of the tinkling creek with Sasuke at his side and waited as Ino and Watarimono seated themselves across from them. He pulled out his little orange book and saw, out of the corner of his eye, the smirk that spread across Sasuke's face. Although the book disgusted Watarimono, seeing it in his hands also reassured her that he wouldn't be interfering as she did her job.

Across town, Sakura had reached Naruto's apartment and was banging on the door. The place was pitch black inside but she refused to believe he wasn't in there hiding somewhere. After another round of pounding that shook the whole building she kicked the door in and stomped into the small space. She flipped the lights on yelling, "I know you're in here, you little punk. Get your ass out here and do what you're told." She stormed over to the closet and ripped the door off it's hinges as she pulled it open. But Naruto wasn't in the closet either. She tossed the door towards his beaten down couch, never noticing as the coffee table in front of it splintered and broke under the assault. She put her hands on her hips trying to decide where else he could be hiding. She threw his bed against the wall and tore the door off both his small bathroom and bedroom closet before deciding he really wasn't in the apartment at all. She stood still for a minute trying to think where else he would go to hide. Finally she walked out of the apartment without bothering to put his doors back It never even occurred to her that someone would break in to the place and wreck the rest of his stuff since she herself had done basically the same thing. She wandered down the street deep in thought until she saw Hinata heading off in the direction of her family's estate.

"Hinata," She called out. The timid girl stopped and waited for her to catch up.

"Excuse me Hinata, but have you seen Naruto anywhere around the last couple of days? He seems to have gone into hiding but we need to . . . find him."

Hinata looked down at the ground and shook her head. She knew where Naruto was but she hadn't actually seen him so she could truly say she hadn't. Besides she really didn't like it that it was Sakura asking for him.

"Are you sure? You usually follow him everywhere. How'd he manage to hide from you?"

"I. . .I don. . .don'ttt f. . fol..low hhhim eeeverrrry where," the shy girl stuttered.

Sakura grinned. "Yes you do. I can see you peeking around the corner whenever he's at the ramen stand or out from behind a tree when we're training or just standing across the street when he's in his apartment. You always know where he is. So just tell me alright. He has something he's supposed to be doing and he's hiding like a spoilt brat cause he doesn't want to."

Hinata frowned. "No," she said and turned to walk away. Sakura stood in shock. Did gentle little shy Hinata just tell her no? Well at least that confirmed that she knew where he was.

Hinata stopped a few paces away from Sakura and lifted her chin. "Even if I did know where Naruto-kun is I wouldn't tell you who have no respect for him for all that you are his teammate. You care nothing for him or his struggles, seeing him as nothing more than something in your way to your precious Sasuke-kun." She turned around and resumed her trek to the Hyuuga Estate where she knew her Father and Neji would both be waiting for her, never noticing the lack of stuttering in the statement she had just uttered.

Behind her Sakura's jaw dropped. Her Inner shouted, "**What the hell does that mean?"**

Sakura answered, "You're asking me?"

Inner ranted, **"He's a Dobe as Sasuke-kun says. - dead last of our class. What does she see in him that's worth anything? I just don't get that girl."**

"You and me both. If it weren't for that thing inside his belly he'd never measure up to Sasuke-kun in terms of strength and that means Sasuke-kun is way better than him. Besides he was born a nobody and he'll always be a nobody."

"**Well. . .maybe," Inner sounded thoughtful.**

"What does that mean? Of course he's a nobody," Sakura fumed, still standing still on the sidewalk though Hinata was long gone.

"**Nothing. Just he does keep the Demon inside and I wonder how much strength that takes. Maybe he's stronger than we think."**

"Nah. He doesn't have any control over that. That seal works off his chakra pool. The chakra just swirls around and keeps the seal intact. It's not like he directs his chakra to control the Demon or the seal," Sakura told her inner self. Inner didn't respond and Sakura continued looking in all the places where she had found Naruto before. But the boy wasn't in any of them. It was dark by the time she got home and her Mother was more than a little angry.

"Sakura where have you been?" her mother said, standing in the doorway to the kitchen with her hands fisted and resting on her hips.

"Looking for the idiot. He seems to have gone into hiding and I got tired of everyone asking where he was so I went looking for him. I didn't find him though."

"You should have been home hours ago. You really had me worried when your friend, the girl with the blonde hair showed up asking for you. She seemed . . .upset with you about something."

"Sorry Mom. Yeah she's probably upset because they can't find Naruto. I'll go see her after I shower and change. Maybe after we eat. That smells good."

"Ok well, get a move on. It's ready to eat whenever you get to the table." Sakura sped up to her room and got a change of clothes for after her shower. Forty-five minutes later, just as her mother was getting ready to eat without her, she stepped into the kitchen wearing two towels. One was wrapped around her head while the other covered her body.

"Get back to your room and get dressed. Anyone can see you from the windows," scolded her mom.

Sakura grinned and said, "I'm hungry so I came down to grab a roll to munch." She plucked and egg roll off the platter of them and disappeared back into her room to dress. Her mother sighed and took an egg roll also knowing it'd be at least another thirty minutes before her daughter was ready to eat. She didn't remember it ever taking her that long to dress but Sakura was particular about her appearance.

An hour and a half later Sakura went to Ino's house and knocked on the door. Ino herself opened up and let her in. Together they disappeared into Ino's room.

"Mom said you came by and seemed upset. Did Naruto show up and do something stupid again?"

"No and I am. I'm angry over the way you've been acting. A lot of people are but no one else will tell you. They're too afraid of your blasted temper." Ino sat down in front of her dressing table mirror and picked up her hairbrush as she watched Sakura in the mirror.

"What do you mean? I just spent the better part of the day looking for my teammate that no one can find."

"Yeah. I saw what you did to his place." Ino slammed her brush down and real fury filled her eyes. "If anyone did that kind of damage to my place they be in a cell right now. And you didn't even try to hide the fact that you did it."

"Yeah well. I was angry. He shouldn't be hiding. If he'd just face the music it wouldn't have happened."

"So what you're saying is it's his fault you trashed his place?" Ino held herself in check by sheer willpower alone.

"Well, yeah. I had other things to do with my afternoon like going to lunch with Sasuke-kun and maybe a spot of shopping but I had to drop my plans to go look for him. I don't get why anyone cares anyway. You have to have a brain you can actually use to be able to build any kind of mask. Naruto doesn't. Every thing he feels is right out there on his sleeve for the whole world to see. So what's the big deal. It's not like that woman is going to discover any big dark secret."

Ino shook her head. "Sakura. Stop. And think for a minute about who you are talking about. He holds inside him the biggest secret this village has ever had. And she's a stranger to our village. So as far as he knows, he does indeed have a secret for her to discover. And it's a douzy of a secret." She paused for breath. "And as for how you've been acting you're making so many people angry I've lost count of the numbers. What I do know is both your Sensei's and Sasuke are just about up to here with you." She indicated a spot somewhat higher than her own head. "You can expect to get lectured very thoroughly tomorrow by both Kakashi-sensei and by Tsunade-sama for the damage to Naruto's place. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are fixing the place now after Tsunade-sama went and got new doors for them."

Sakura gulped. She had ripped all the doors off their hinges in her rampage to find him but it was his own fault. If he hadn't gone into hiding she wouldn't be searching for him. She said as much and Ino rolled her eyes. "You just don't get it do you, Forehead Girl. Naruto is not the same Dobe he was in the academy. That Dobe was never real anyway. It was just who he pretended to be to try and make some friends. But what I really don't get is how you can claim to be so close to your other teammate and still be so totally clueless to how he feels every time you insult and hurt his BEST FRIEND."

"Sasuke-kun doesn't like Naruto. He just sees him as someone to battle because of Naruto's other half. It's a way to measure his strength when he can fight a demon and win."

"You're really dense aren't you Forehead? How can you have such a large forehead and be so stupid? Naruto and Sasuke are best friends. They have been for years. Everyone but you seems to know that and you're on their team. Yes, Sasuke and Naruto like to battle each other but they fight with each other to _improve_ on their skills. Not against each other to dominate. You really need to try shutting your mouth and opening your eyes before they both give you a taste of the dish you have been serving Naruto. Believe me you won't like the taste at all."

Sakura couldn't believe her best friend was saying all this. They had discussed Sasuke and Naruto many times over the years and they'd always seen things the same way. What had happened to change Ino's mind? First Hinata had acted all snooty and now Ino was telling her she didn't know her own Sasuke-kun as well as she thought she did? What was going on? She shook her head to clear her mind. "I don't know what you think you're pulling here, Ino-pig but you're not coming between me and my Sasuke-kun. I love Sasuke-kun."

"Why would I want Sasuke when I have Choji? Choji is a much nicer guy and he's loved me for a long time. He sees the real me and is ok with me no matter what mood I'm in."

"Choji! You're dating the fattest boy in town? And you want me to believe that because. . .?"

"Yes I am dating Choji and I really don't care what you think about it. I really like him. And he isn't all that fat. A lot of that is muscle and what isn't is needed for his jutsu so I don't care if he carries a little extra weight around. He's healthy and I'm proud to be his girl."

"Choji! Healthy? No way. All he eats is junk food."

"Enough Forehead." Now Ino was getting mad. She was just about ready to toss her best friend out of her house and tell her not to come back until she gained a heart. "You need to start thinking about how you treat other people. You walk over everyone's feelings as if you have the right to do so and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of going along and having to pick our friends back up and dust off their egos cause you trampled them." She stood up and pointed to her door. "Now if you'll excuse me I have an early appointment in the morning and I'd like to get some sleep."

Sakura stood up from the bed and walked to the door. "Well, I don't know what game you think you're playing but there's no way I'll leave the field clear for you to get my Sasuke-kun. Sleep well, Ino-pig."

**Two Tails: Twitch... twitch... MUST KILL PINK HAIRED BANSHEE!... Ahem, Well there ya go a brand new chapter for ya. Thank you to all those who have reviewed Roses stories, Especially the reviews for ****"What they didn't see"****. Now how about some more reviews! They make Rose happy which makes my life easier so come on and help a poor little two tailed Kitsune! .**

**Rose: I know a lot of you are thinking that I am really having Sakura behave much worse than she really does and that's true in a sense but really I am not having her do anything in this story that she hasn't already done to a lesser degree in the cannon. I'm just exaggerating her less than desirable character traits. So if you are offended by it I apologize and rest assured it will come to a boiling point soon.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Two-Tails always forgets to tell you all I don't own Naruto. I just like beating up the characters in the story. Can't help it that he created sooo many characters that are just soo very ripe for beating on.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Problems and Trouble**

Naruto had spent the rest of the previous day in the forced coma Kyuubi had sent him into to escape the images from his nightmare and now the Fox was trying, without success, to bring him out of it. The problem was the Kit was so tired he didn't want to leave the coma. Kyuubi paced in the confines of his cage which he was startled to note wasn't as small as it used to be. Somehow the kit had increased the size of his cage to four paces in every direction. The puddle that used to be outside the cage was now directly centered under the bars of that held the seal. However, that was a puzzle for another time. Right now he needed to get the kit to wake up. He tried to go to where the kit was but found his way blocked by plants. Plants? Where had they come from? Oh well. It didn't matter. He tried to push his way through them but the plants pushed back. He couldn't get through physically. He sat back on his haunches to think things through. His tails thumped out a rhythmic beat on the floor of Naruto's subconscious.

Across town, Team Seven was gathering on the bridge. Sakura had shown up with a thoughtful expression on her face and now she was studying Sasuke who had yet to even say good morning. Sasuke wasn't a morning person though so she didn't expect him to. "Good morning Sasuke-kun," she said cheerfully. "I hope you slept well."

He didn't even "Hn" her. Just turned his back and waited to see if Naruto would show today if the direction he was staring was any indication. She sighed and dropped her smile. "Maybe we can get a mission we can do without Naruto today. Even a stupid one here in town would be better than nothing at all. I really don't see why the whole team has to suffer just because he's being a baby," she griped.

Kakashi showed up on time for once and looked off in the same direction as Sasuke. "So he's a no-show again." Sasuke nodded while Sakura shrugged.

"Who cares," she said. "I wasted my whole afternoon yesterday looking for him."

Kakashi spun around and faster than she could blink Sakura found herself tied to the center pole at their usual training ground. Behind Kakashi, a very pissed off Kakashi, Sasuke glared at her. "I've had enough of your crap, Sakura." Kakashi said. "It's bad enough that you have never once tried to help Naruto but you insult the whole team with your blatant dislike of anything that has to do with Naruto. You were not looking for Naruto yesterday when you threw his bed through his apartment wall to the street below or tore every single one of his doors off their hinges. What? Did you think he was hiding inside the door itself? He'd be much more talented than you are if he could do that. But you didn't even have the grace to clean up after yourself. At least when Naruto throws a temper tantrum he cleans up and makes it all right. You just left the mess for someone else to clean up." He turned away from her and stormed off a few paces blowing out his breath and sucking in another with every step.

Sasuke said nothing but Sakura could tell he was angry. She thought he was angry on her behalf. This was so unfair but at least her Sasuke-kun would get her free if Kakashi-sensei didn't untie her she thought. She saw that woman show up with Ino again and suddenly the conversation with Ino last night clicked into place. Of course Ino said all that stuff. If she could convince Sakura to back away from Sasuke-kun she had a clear shot at him working with her and him the way she was. Well, it wasn't going to work. She wasn't going to let Ino-pig win her guy away from her. Sasuke-kun belonged to her. Everyone knew that.

She watched as that woman walked over to Kakashi-sensei and they had a brief conversation. Ino walked over to Sasuke-kun and said something to him. Sakura saw Sasuke-kun take a deep breath and smile at Ino. No Way! He never smiled. "Leave him alone, Ino-pig," Sakura screamed across the field. She pulled against the ropes that bound her to the pole but there was no give in them at all and she stayed where she was.

Ino didn't even look at her as she and Sasuke-kun walked away to join the other two at the far side of the training field. Just as they were all getting ready to leave everyone felt the large pulse of terrifying chakra flood the village. Everyone caught their breath and then Kakashi, Ino and Sasuke started running. Watarimono followed them while Sakura screamed to be released.

As they ran across the village they met others running in the direction of the pulsing waves of chakra that were still spilling across the village. Civilians were poking their heads out of windows and doors trying to see what the danger was and whispered on the breeze was the thought that the boy had lost control and they would all die. Ninja converged on the pulse wave trying to pinpoint where it was coming from, while the villagers just wanted to get away from it.

Tsunade appeared in the open area in front of the Hokage's Tower. Standing with her were Jiraiya, Shizune and several others who worked in the building. Coming over from the academy were the academy teachers including Iruka. Everyone had the same question. As Kakashi and his group came into view everyone congregated around him all babbling together until the sound resembled a gathering of geese.

"Silence," roared Tsunade. When everyone was quiet she continued, "Kakashi, where is my Gaki?"

"I don't know. He hasn't been seen for a couple of days. I think Iruka is actually the last person to have seen him."

"But that was days ago," sputtered Iruka.

The pulse wave rolled over them all again. Sasuke just looked around for a minute before he mumbled, "He's in trouble." and took off running towards the center of the area the wave seemed to be spreading from. Everyone followed him. Halfway across the clearing he ran into Hinata heading their way. She didn't say anything but her panic clearly showed in her face as she grabbed him by the arm pulling him along behind her.

"Hinata, the Dobe. Where?" Sasuke panted out.

She nodded and tugged his arm harder. Together they ran through the trees bordering the open area the ninjas had gathered in with everyone else following more slowly behind them. Within a few minutes Sasuke found himself standing beside a beautiful pool of water staring at a waterfall that fell gracefully into the pool. Hinata was pointing up at the waterfall and he could see the red chakra pouring out from behind the fall. She let him go and he sprinted to the base of the fall just as Kakashi, Iruka and Tsunade broke through the bushes that enclosed the area. They were followed by Watarimono, Ino and Shizune who stopped and stared at the beauty of the place. Tsunade soon joined Sasuke in trying to find the path up to where they could see the chakra spilling out. Jiraiya didn't even look at his surroundings as he joined them and began scaling the rocks behind the fall. Soon he found the cave and Tsunade broke the genjutsu that covered it and they were inside. Tsunade ran a scan on Naruto as soon as she found him laying so still on his futon.

As soon as he realized help had arrived for his kit the Fox turned off his chakra but kept up his pacing, beating himself up with his own nine tails. He was really angry with himself for endangering his kit like this and needing the help of humans to save the child. It wasn't bad enough that he'd been the one to give the kit those horrible nightmares as a young kit but then he hadn't been able to stop them and had to settle into a role of simply pulling the boy out of his nightmares whenever the kit became too stressed to get any more useful rest. Then he'd allowed himself to become complacent enough not to realize that there were some images the kit would never ever need to see in that context and had forgotten to watch the nightmare scape for them and so the kit had seen too much. Now the Kit was trapped in a demon set coma from which he refused to wake. It was all his fault. All because he was angry at the Yondaime he had taken it out on his kit, who had done nothing . . . to anyone. Kyuubi hung his head in shame. Foxes didn't hurt their kits. Ever. Yet he had. Over and over again. True Kit wasn't a real fox but he was still a kit belonging to Kyuubi. Therefore he should not have hurt him. He didn't know what to do so he paced.

At the training ground, Sakura stewed. She was still tied to the post and no one was around to get her untied. She was so angry she could and did scream. She had been forgotten as everyone had rushed off to deal with Naruto. That stupid idiot. She hoped this time they'd kill him. Team seven would be better for it if they did. He was becoming more and more of the demon he was supposed to keep them safe from everyday. She saw it even if no one else did. Everyone knew his strength was the demons really and, as strong as he was when fighting, to her that meant the demon did his fighting. Since he preferred to spend his days in combat, how could they not see the demon was taking over. Naruto wasn't smart enough to keep a demon as strong as the Kyuubi tricked into being contained. Didn't anyone understand you needed to be smart to contain a demon? What was wrong with these people? She would never be so stupid as to believe that the village idiot could contain such a powerful entity as the Kyuubi was supposed to be. She fumed and wondered just how long they'd be gone and how long it would take for anyone to remember she was trapped here. It never occurred to her to use her strength to simply pull the post out of the ground and walk away until she fond someone to cut the ropes.

Back in the waterfall cave, Sasuke and Iruka had joined Jiraiya and Tsunade. Iruka took careful note of everything in the cave and realized this was Naruto's get-away. His escape from the stares and the hate. His place to be alone, where he could just be. Quietly he said to Sasuke, "Once he's safe again we need to make sure everyone forgets this spot and seal it back up for him." Sasuke just nodded while casting a glaring eye at Jiraiya.

Tsunade heard him and so did Jiraiya. Both looked around and saw what he meant. Things that were important to Naruto were here. Precious pieces of himself. Tsunade saw a picture of herself smiling cockily at the camera and another of Jiraiya peeping through bushes and grinning manically. From another frame Iruka stood with a much younger Naruto outside the academy building. There was at least one picture of everyone Naruto cared for in this cave but most telling was the team seven picture. Careful editing had removed Sakura from the picture, filling her spot with a reasonable rendition of Kakashi's normal attire. If she hadn't known Sakura was supposed to be in the picture she never would have known it by Naruto's copy. Now she just pointed it out to Sasuke who grunted. He'd already seen it but since he knew for a fact that Naruto hated the girl it didn't startle him as much as it did everyone else. Jiraiya whistled when his eye fell on it and realized the girl wasn't in it. "And here I really thought he loved her. Damn Gaki. Really had me fooled," he said.

"Now maybe you understand why I want Wata to work with him?" asked Tsunade. "If he can hide his dislike of one girl from you, who traveled with and trained him, how many other things don't we know about him? And how dangerous are these things he's hiding?" She continued trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with him but all she could really determine was that he seemed to be in a really deep sleep. However, she knew it had to be more than that. The Fox had sent that pulse wave through a sleeping Naruto. Yet when they had arrived it was perfectly clear the Fox was not in control of the boy. He was still contained. Finally she sat back on her heels. "I can't find anything wrong with him. He just appears to be deeply asleep. And that's not an uncommon state for people when they need rest bad enough."

"For him," said Sasuke.

Tsunade turned to look at him. "What?"

"Ask Kakashi."

"Kakashi, get in here," Tsunade yelled out. A second later Kakashi was in the cave and saw Naruto. He frowned. He saw at once that Naruto was not in a normal for Naruto sleep.

"Damn it Gaki. What did you do to yourself now?" yelled a frustrated Tsunade. She ordered him taken to the hospital before she transported herself there also.

In the cave, Iruka stepped to the edge and looked for Kurenai in the gathering below them while Sasuke stood with Kakashi who was looking around at everything. Jiraiya was also peering into every nook and cranny and it was making Sasuke angry.

"Stop," he finally growled out. Both Kakashi and Jiraiya looked at him, wondering who was doing what that bothered the Uchiha. "Quit prying. Get out."

"We're not hurting anything. Not even touching anything," explained Kakashi.

"Prying. Leave. Now."

Jiraiya looked at Kakashi who looked back at him. Both knew Sasuke was right but neither wanted to pass up this chance to see a side of the Gaki they'd never get to see again. Both knew all too well that Naruto never gave away his secrets. For a loud-mouth he was surprisingly secretive. Kakashi sighed and nodded before saying, "You're right Sasuke. It is an invasion of his privacy but it's also a chance to really get to know a side of Naruto he hides from everyone." As an example he pointed to the guitar sitting at the head of the futon. Sasuke said nothing. He just crossed his arms over his chest and waited for them to leave. He already knew Naruto would never come back here again and had plans to take all his treasures out of here as soon as he could get everyone to leave. He and Hinata would clear the cave and she would know if he had another spot to store them.

Finally Jiraiya had poked into everything he could find and, after trying to take Naruto's journal, which Sasuke had pulled away from him he left. No way was he going to read something so private without Naruto consent while Sasuke was there to stop him. Kakashi followed Jiraiya out. Once he was alone inside Sasuke motioned for Hinata to join him. She did so willingly.

"What's happening out there?" he asked her.

"Kurenai-sensei is . . .erasing this sssp...pot from evvvveryone's minddd. . ."

"Stop stuttering. Take a deep breath and then tell me. Look over that way," He pointed to the far wall.

She did as he instructed and then said, "Kurenai-sensei is erasing this spot from everyone's mind. Some tried to run off like that new woman but Shikamaru caught her in a shadow hold until the area could be erased. Ino is helping her and when no one remembers anymore Kurenai will reseal this cave with a jutsu to keep it hidden and moisture-free like Naruto-kun had it."

"Strong enough to erase it from a Sannin's mind? Or Kakashi's?"

Hinata shook her head. "I doubt it. Sannins have unusually strong minds and when they want to remember something they will. As for Kakashi-Sensei, he's not called the Copy-nin for nothing. I think they'll all, including Tsunade-sama, remember this spot."

"Do you know of any other spot Naruto has found that no one else seems to know of then?" Iruka asked her. "It's bad enough they were all in here looking through his things but if they remember he comes here to escape he'll never be able to do it again." He had come back in as Sasuke ran a hand through his hair showing his frustration.

"Yes, I think I do but it doesn't have a cave like this. This cave is why he always liked this spot the best. It made for great privacy but the falling water and the echos of the cave were great for his music."

Sasuke started pacing as he thought. Finally he stopped and looked out the cave opening before turning to look at Hinata again. She dropped her head and he turned his gaze away. When he saw her lift her head from the corner of his eye he asked her, "Trust Kurenai-sensei?"

Hinata wanted to trust her sensei but this was for Naruto-kun so she thought about it carefully before she nodded. "I think so," she said. "But let's test her before we take her there."

"Test who and take them where?" asked Kurenai from the cave opening.

Sasuke, Hinata and Iruka all shared a look before Iruka said, "We're thinking we need to move Naruto's hiding spot until he can choose a new one. Too many nosy people were poking and prodding around in here for him to ever feel safe here again. I know he won't want to come back here again now that so many people know of the spot."

Kurenai considered the problem and looked around. What she saw surprised her. The real Naruto was here and she knew they were right. The meaning of this cave was obvious and he wouldn't come back again unless it was to gather up his things. "So what is your plan?"

"We'll take his stuff to another location but we need you to do the sealing thingy to keep them safely hidden until we can tell him where they are and he can move them himself."

"Why not just leave them here and I'll seal this place back up?"

"Because Sasuke already caught one person trying to take something out of here without his ok. I don't trust anyone who could still remember, in spite of yours and Ino's efforts, not to come back and try again," explained Iruka.

"Jiraiya-sama tried to take something of Naruto-kun's," Hinata explained at Kurenai's blank look. Kurenai's brow furrowed as she admitted to herself that the man probably would come back again to get whatever he had tried to take.

Finally she nodded. "Why not just gather everything together and take it to the Uchiha Estate. Store it all in a room there and I'll seal the door and windows to that room so no one can get in until Naruto is out of the Hospital and you tell him you have his things?" Sasuke and Hinata both blinked and looked at each other. Why hadn't they thought of that, they both thought.

Sasuke gave Kurenai a broad smirk and said, "Works."

She smiled and chuckled. "Come on. Let's get everything gathered up and I have a scroll we can pack it all into to make transporting it less noticeable." She spread the scroll on the ground as Naruto's friends began bringing her things to pack away. First was Naruto's journal and guitar. Then came his clothes and ramen stash. Then his books and futon, first aid kit, plant boxes and scrolls. He had a lot of scrolls, some of them were jutsu's he had made up and others were obviously lessons he was studying. On others were what looked to be poems or maybe songs but they all tried not to look too closely. They weren't there to invade his privacy after all. They were trying to preserve it. Finally the cave was as empty as it had been when Naruto had first found it. They even took the torches off the walls. Together they left the cave and headed for the Uchiha district.

As they left, Jiraiya crept out of his hiding spot and made his way back into the Gaki's cave. He used a jutsu, once he reached it and was safe from prying eyes, to light up the interior and a growl of frustration tore out of his throat. They'd already taken the journal away. Damn. He poofed out of the cave and was soon on the trail of the quartet who'd cleaned out Naruto's stuff. He was going to get his hands on that journal one way or another.

Kakashi had gone back to Watari's place with her when their memories were erased so that they could reassure the twins that everything was alright now. After he saw to his daughters he planned to go to the hospital to see what was wrong with Naruto. Then maybe he'd go back to his place or maybe to Iruka's for the evening. Neither he or Watarimono remembered they'd left Sakura tied to the post at the training field.

Neither did Ino who took the long way to her home choosing to walk with Choji and Shikamaru for a time first. The three of them discussed random trips they'd taken as a team and none of them thought of the waterfall clearing.

After dropping Iruka off at his place Hinata, Sasuke and Kurenai took a round about path to the Uchiha district because Hinata had picked up their tail just after they'd gotten past the academy grounds. They decided to go eat together and then go browse through some stores that stayed open late. Four hours later they slipped out a cleverly disguised small door in the back of the mall and ran into the Uchiha district leaving a very ticked off Jiraiya searching for them in an appliance store. Pleased with their trickery the women followed Sasuke into his house where he led them to a room not far from his own bedroom. He opened the hidden door and said, "Not many people even know this room is here so even if whoever was tailing us does figure out we came here once you seal it chances are good they won't ever find Naruto's treasures."

Hinata gave a broad smile as Kurenai chuckled darkly. She ste the scroll down and unrolled it. Then she smeared her blood across the circles on it and all Naruto's things popped out ready for use or storage. Sasuke carried his plant boxes into his bedroom where he set them near his windows. He'd take care of them while Naruto couldn't.

Hinata started sorting his scrolls and books into neat piles while Kurenai arranged everything else in the remaining spaces. It took them an hour to get everything to fit together nicely in the closet sized area but finally they were satisfied with it and left the room so Kurenai could seal it up. She put a genjutsu on the door that caused it to look and sound just like the rest of the wall and then laid another one over the plant boxes. She didn't want anyone to see them and recognize them as the ones that had been in the cave. Sasuke could still see the plants to tend to them but to everyone else they now looked like a set of empty sword racks. None of them thought anyone trying to come in through the window would be likely to use a sword rack as a stepping stool.

Sasuke grinned when Kurenai showed him what the boxes looked like to everyone else. It would do just fine. He was determined not to let Naruto's things fall into anyone else's hands. He would keep them safe until the Dobe came to get them himself. He turned to escort his guests out and Kurenai walked Hinata to the gates of the Hyuuga compound just to make sure she didn't run into anyone who might try to coerce her to share information she didn't want to give. Then she quickly left the streets of Konoha for the privacy of her own home.

At the training grounds, Sakura was still tied to the stump and she had yelled herself hoarse trying to attract some attention. No one had come and she was cold, hungry and tired but she couldn't do anything about it. She had given up trying to get free since the more she struggled the tighter the knots seemed to become. She hung her head as tears rolled down her face. How could they do this to her? She hadn't done anything to deserve this. So she had torn the doors off his place. Big deal. It wasn't like it was as nice as her home. Home. She wanted to be there right now. She wondered if her mom was missing her yet. Surely she was. Her mom always missed her when she wasn't in by the time night fell. Surely she'd come looking for her. But would she even know where this place was? Sakura couldn't remember if she'd ever told her mom how to find their training grounds. Somehow she didn't think she had. How stupid of her! Oh she was gonna beat Naruto to a pulp when she finally got free of this mess. It was all his fault. Everyone always felt sorry for him and not her poor Sasuke-kun but Sasuke-kun was the real one that needed love and understanding. She knew that even if no one else did. After all he was an orphan since his brother had killed his whole family. Not Naruto. So he had no family either. Big deal. They'd probably abandoned him recognizing him for what he really was. Worthless trash. She'd heard her father say that when she was younger before he'd gone away and now that she'd worked with him she knew he'd been right. Naruto was nothing compared to her Sasuke-kun. Even she was a better fighter than he was. After all, not only did she have phenomenal strength but she also knew medical jutsu and was blessed with perfect chakra control. That made her a much more valuable member of the team than he was. He had nothing that could even compare with her Sasuke-kun let alone her. She grew angrier as her thoughts ran in circles, each one condemning Naruto for her present predicament. Slowly she fell asleep still tied to the post.

Across town Kakashi was at the hospital waiting in the hall outside the room where Tsunade was still trying to find the cause of Naruto's deep sleep. She and her staff had been examining him for five hours now and they were no closer to having a reason for his coma than they had been in the cave. By all indications he should just be able to wake up whenever he was ready but from the very way he laid so still in the bed they all knew he wasn't going to be doing that. Finally, the staff started leaving the room and Kakashi went in to find Tsunade sitting in the chair beside his bed.

"So what do you think went wrong Hokage-sama?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before. All the machines and tests say he's just in a very deep sleep and should wake-up on his own but the way he's laying there says otherwise. If I didn't know better I'd say he was drugged but there are no foreign substances anywhere in his system so that can't be it. For once in my life I find I don't know what to do for him. I haven't felt this helpless . . .in a long time." Her mind flashed back to the night her fiancé had died. She hadn't been able to help him either but at least she had known what was wrong with him. She shook her head to dispel the memories.

Kakashi pulled a chair away from the wall and sat down on the other side of the bed. He studied his student. The two adults sat there in silence knowing there was nothing else to say or do.

**Two Tails: Wow... Slight respect for Sasuke in this chapter**, **That's rare, and YAY Hinata was in here! Anyways Rose is grumpy now so I'm gonna got find a place to hide . :Runs off to hide from Rose in Hinata's room:**

**Hinata: Eep! Get out! Onnnnnlyy Narrr...Naru..to.to-kun can commme in here. (Blushes and faints)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Two Tails: Rose does not own Naruto, Hinata would hate her if she did.**

**Rose: Why would Hinata hate me if I owned her character? You make no sense Gaki. Go back to sleep! (Bashes Two-Tails on the head)This chapter will mark the beginning of a change in Sakura's behavior. Bear with me as I slowly begin changing an abusive spoilt little girl into something that somewhat resembles a normal human woman who isn't on a bad PMS trip 24/7.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Meeting with a Demon**

Morning light streamed through the windows of the hospital room waking Kakashi from his light doze. He sat up running a weary hand over his face and made sure his mask was still in place. Then he looked towards the bed and saw that Naruto was just as still as he had been all night long. He gazed at each of the machines that were measuring the boys lifesigns and perused each one careful for any signs of a change. Nothing they all looked the same to him as they had last night. Across from him Tsunade was sleeping in her chair. Someone had come in and tossed a blanket over her lap while they slept. Probably Shizune since Sakura . . .Oh Crap! Sakura! He'd left her tied to the stump at the training field. Well hopefully someone had found her and released her so she hadn't had to spend the whole night there. But she was still going to want to beat him to a pulp. He was just getting to his feet when a very angry pink-hair harrigan came storming into the room bellowing at the top of her lungs. A quick glance at Naruto showed him the blond jinchuuriki hadn't heard anything.

"How dare you," Sakura screamed.

Tsunade came awake with a well thrown punch and Sakura found herself on the floor gasping for breath. Tsunade blinked once as she stood up and turned to face her student. In a low voice she ground out, "How . . . dare . . . you! This . . . is a . . . HOSPITAL." She advanced on Sakura's position while Sakura did her best to scoot to safety. "You know better than to come into a patients room bellowing like a stuck pig." Tsunade's hands clenched and Sakura kept her eyes on them warily.

She gulped and stammered, "I'm sorry Tsunade-shishui. I was just so angry at Kakashi-sensei I didn't realize where I was. He left me tied to a post after that Naruto lost control again." She pleaded for understanding with tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew Tsunade didn't like to see her people cry but she also didn't like them mistreated so she hoped to sway her anger over to Kakashi with the tears. It didn't work.

However it didn't work. It just reminded Tsunade of her other recent bad behavior. "Ah yes. Your punishment for trashing Naruto's home. You deserve much more than simply being tied up for a couple of hours. It cost me a lot of money to replace all those doors and have his cabinets replaced not to mention having to do without Shizune's help all day since all of his linens had to be replaced as well as his bed and coffee table and other furnishings. But you didn't think about that did you when you wrecked the place?"

Sakura gulped. "I didn't do all that."

"No you just made it possible for others to finish what you started by leaving them a way in. I was told to get you under control and teach you some manners but I honestly didn't think you were that petty of a girl. I'm sorry I was wrong. You disappoint me and you will remove yourself from this room and this hospital now or I will throw you out. Oh and you will be paying for all the cost of repairs to Naruto's home yourself and never again will you go there unaccompanied by a superior. His home is off-limits to you as of right now. Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT."

Sakura stood up and fled. She didn't stop running until she got home where her mother was waiting. Seeing the mess her daughters clothes were in she said, "And just where were you that you're still wearing the same clothes you left the house in yesterday morning?"

"I was tied to a post at the training field. And by the way thanks for caring enough about me to come looking for me."

"You were gone all night without a word to me about where you were or when you were coming home and now you seek to place the blame on me?"

"I always come home at night when the team isn't on a mission out of town. The least you could have done was come looking for me when I didn't show up," Sakura growled back.

"And where would I have looked? Maybe I should have gone to that boys house your always going on about. Oh yeah, that's right. He doesn't let you in there does he. So maybe the other boy on your team knew where you were. Oh that's right," She snapped her fingers in the air. "He's in the hospital in some kind of comatose state and has been since yesterday afternoon. So just who should I have asked in order to find you?"

"How about either one of my sensei's Mother? It seems they both knew where I was and maybe if you had I could have come home last night. Instead I had to spend the entire night tied to a stupid stump that I only got untied from because Guy-sensei and his student came by on their early morning run hoping to coerce my sensei into running with them."

"It is not my responsibility to find you. It's your responsibility to let me know what your plans are and if you are going to be out past your curfew you know you are supposed to get permission first. Consider yourself grounded young lady. You are not to leave this house unless you are picked up by one of your senseis in person." Sakura's mom turned and left the room. "Oh and stay off the phone too." She had the grocery shopping to do and she was furious with Sakura for causing her to spend the night worrying about her.

Sakura stood where she was in shock. Could her day get any worse? It was just starting and already she'd been subjected to a lecture on youthfulness by the two weirdest guys in the village, yelled at by her sensei and Hokage when she had been rightfully angry at her other sensei, told she was going to pay for damages to the Baka's place she hadn't caused and now she was grounded as if she were still a ten-year old kid. What else could go wrong? She fled to her room, crying.

Sasuke headed for the hospital hoping to find Naruto awake and recovering so he could tell him his stuff was safe. Halfway there Jiraiya stepped into his path. He stopped and stared at the Sannin waiting for him to say what was n his mind.

"What did you do with Naruto's things? I know that you took them from the cave so hand them over and I'll keep them safe for him until he can retrieve them himself."

"No." Sasuke stepped around Jiraiya and proceeded down the street towards the hospital. Jiraiya followed talking about how he was the only person to be trusted with Naruto's treasures all the way there and up to the reception desk where Sasuke just talked over him asking for Naruto's room number. He headed down the corridor to Naruto's room and Jiraiya followed. Sasuke continued to ignore him and passing nurses tried to shush him but Jiraiya kept getting louder and louder. Sasuke pushed the door open and went to step into the room. As Jiraiya went to follow him Sasuke put one hand out. "Stop," he said. "You will not disturb my visit with my teammate with your inane dribble when we both know all you really want to do is pry into his business and read his private journal. It's called a PRIVATE journal for a reason and I will not turn it over to you. If he wants you to see it then he can put it in your hands himself when he is able to do so. Now go away." He stepped into the room and let the door shut in Jiraiya's face. He turned and saw both Kakashi and Tsunade looking at him in shock.

"What?" he asked as he stepped over to the bed and looked down on the peaceful-looking Naruto.

"You really can talk,"sputtered Kakashi.

"You just told off a guy who could tie you up in so many knots it'd take years to get them all undone," said Tsunade.

"Hn," was Sasuke's reply.

"Wait. Did you say Naruto keeps a journal," asked Tsunade.

Sasuke looked at her and muttered, "Don't." The look was full of intent and somehow she knew he'd do his level best to back it up. She backed over to where Kakashi stood propped up against the wall.

"He won't give it to anyone but Naruto himself. Sasuke and Naruto are very close. It was Naruto that brought Sasuke back here when Orochimaru tried to turn him against us. It is Naruto who is always helping him get stronger and it is Naruto who has promised to help him get his brother to explain why he killed the family. He will never let anyone know what Naruto doesn't want them to."

Tsunade looked at Sasuke with new eyes. She had known the boys had a bond but she didn't realize it was that deep. The only other bond she knew of that could possibly rival it was the bond between Gaara of the Sand and Naruto. But she knew that if she asked Gaara to try and get the journal for her he'd refuse on the same grounds Sasuke had just given them. The journal was Naruto's private thoughts and until he released it or died it was no one else's business.

Next to come into the room was Ino with Watarimono. Both mind readers looked to the patient and then at his visitors.

"I figured Pinky would at least come see how he's doing since she is his teammate," said Watarimono.

"Oh she came by but it was only to yell at Kakashi for leaving her tied to the stump yesterday when the pulse wave went out," laughed Tsunade. "She got reminded very forcefully it is never a good idea to wake me up by yelling and that it is definitely not a good idea to do it in a hospital room where a patient is sleeping."

"Tsu, you didn't hurt her too badly did you?" laughed Watarimono.

Tsunade shook her head but her grin said she had enjoyed herself. "I gave her one solid punch to the gut when she woke me up but that was just because she happened to be standing too close when I did. However, I did give her a lecture over her recent bad behavior. She really isn't a happy girl right now." Tsunade didn't notice Sasuke's pleased expression but Watarimono did and so did Ino.

"Watari, do you think you could go into Naruto's mind and see why he isn't waking up? If we knew the cause we might be able to find a treatment to bring him out of it,"explained Kakashi.

"I could try but not without back-up. Ino I know I'm training you but this boy isn't a normal child. Do you think you could go and get your Dad to come? I'll be the one to go in but I'd like to have you and your Dad stand by to pull me out in case the Demon tries to trap me there." Ino nodded and took off to go find her dad, thinking all the way how annoying it was that she kept calling Naruto a child or a boy. He was eighteen years old and that made him a young man.

She knew her dad would most likely be with Shika and Choji's fathers at the Shogi parlor so that's the first place she looked. They weren't there so she checked the Bar-b-que joint Choji's family liked but they weren't there either. That left her dad's favorite hang-out so she headed for the local nin bar which was still closed. Where could they be? She headed for the street they all lived on and stopped at Choji's house but his Mom said they weren't there. She started to go past the flower shop but decided to pop in just to see if her mom knew what her dad's plans for the day had been. She found her mom in the backroom dealing with a delivery and asked, "Mom, do you know where Dad was planning to be this morning? Watarimono-sensei has need of his help in figuring out what's wrong with Naruto."

"Yes, Dear. He was planning to help count the herd on the Nara Estate."

"Ok thank-you Mom. You're the best."

"Wait a minute Honey. What do you mean what's wrong with Naruto?"

Ino called an answer over her shoulder as she headed for the front door. "We don't know Mom. He's sleeping but it's not a natural sleep and we can't figure out why. Don't worry though. The seal is still intact."

She never heard her mother say, "I wasn't worried about that. That's obvious since the village is still standing and nothings on fire or destroyed. I was worried about him. Maybe I'll put a bouquet of nice smelling flowers together for him. I know which ones he really likes since he comes to me for seedlings so often." She began to hum as she arranged the flowers in the shop, pulling some of them out and testing them against each other to see what worked best with what.

Ino had hurried to the Nara Estate and was led by Shikamaru's Mom to where her dad was posted. "Dad," she said. "Watarimono-sensei sent me to find you She is asking if you would help her. Tsunade-sama doesn't know what's wrong with Naruto and Kakashi thought maybe with our mind jutsu Watarimono-sensei could discover why he is so deeply sleeping but unnaturally so. Watarimono-sensei is asking if you will act as her back-up since Naruto does house a demon who might try to trap her in his mind?"

"Of course I will come help her. It is a great honor for either of us to help Rakki Otome No Jiko in whatever she needs assistance on. She is the highest ranked person in our whole clan. I hope you are treating her with full respect." The last of his statement was actually a question and Ino bobbed her head in answer as Chouza and Shikato laughed. Her dad wasn't one to stand on formality all that much and it was strange to hear his speech pattern change over her new sensei but Ino was getting used to it.

"I must go to my kinswoman's aid now. I'll come back as soon as I know that she is safe."

"It's ok," said Shikato. "Family first."

"Thank you," Inoichi said as he took off with Ino for the hospital where Naruto lay.

From the Nara estate they went straight to the hospital and arrived in short order in Naruto's room where Inoichi bowed low to Watarimono and greeted her.

"Rakki Otome No Jiko, my daughter has said that you request me to assist in a mind transfer? How may I assist you?"

Ino rolled her eyes while everyone face faulted. Everyone except Watarimono. She just blew out the air in her lungs and said, "First off my name is Watarimono. I earned it and that is what I wish to be called although you can shorten it to either Wata, as Tsu calls me or to Watari as Kashi calls me. You may not call me by that other name anymore. Is that clear?" Inoichi paled and nodded his head vigorously. "Secondly, I am going to try to enter Naruto's mind and see if I can figure out why he's in this coma. But since he houses a demon in there it may be necessary for you to pull me out. Therefore you will need to send a tendril of your mind along with me but make sure you stay tethered to your own mind. I will guide us both into Naruto's and hopefully the Demon will not realize you are even there. Do you think you can do this?"

"Yes I have done similar things when I was teaching Ino how to mind-walk."

"Good then let's get comfortable. Tsu, hook up your monitoring machines just in case this doesn't work and one or both of us get trapped."

Tsunade hooked up her machines to both Inoichi and Watarimono and nodded when they were in working order. Everything went quiet in the room as Inoichi sent a tendril of his mind into Watarimono's and she sent both of them into Naruto's mind.

At first when they entered his mind everything was dark. Pitch black night had more light than Naruto's mind did but then they could see a golden-red glow coming from a far off point. Inoichi just allowed the part of his mind that was monitoring Watarimono's progress to drift along as she strode on with purpose in her step. Soon she could make out the passage she was in. There were many doors leading off and intersections showed other passages with more doors. But she kept moving toward the light that grew brighter with every step. Finally she made a final turn and found herself standing in a watery depth that resembled a sewage drain pipe more than anything else. Water dripped from the ceiling and puddled on the floor. It ran down the walls and streamed along towards the cage at the end of the passage. Inside the cage was the most fearsome demon of them all. His golden-red fur and tails were the source of the light she had followed and he was staring at her with fire red hungry eyes that told her louder than words ever could that if she got close enough to that cage she was dead. Kyuubi No Kitsune did not like her being here one little bit. She gulped back her fear and bowed low to the Demon King waiting until he spoke to rise from her bow. This was his home and damned if she was gonna show him the slightest little bit of disrespect while she was here!

"**Bout time someone came. What took you so long?"**

"We didn't understand the message until now. We are limited in our knowledge of how to interpret your wishes, Kyuubi No Kitsune."

"**Well, are you gonna help my vessel or just stay bent over like that all day?"**

"The doctor, who is not me, has asked me to come and see if I can find out why he is sleeping so deeply. She says he is in a comatose state but until she can understand the cause she can not awaken him."

"**Well. . .don't that just figure." Kyuubi lashed himself again with his tails.** **He didn't want to tell her what he'd done to the Kit. It was bad enough having to admit it to himself but she was a human. But then again. She didn't know how his kind usually treated their own. Maybe she wouldn't think worse of him for it than she already did. "I did it to him. He was having a particularly gruesome nightmare and couldn't let it go so when sending him into a lighter dream state didn't work as he kept laying images from the nightmare over the pleasant ones I was conjuring I sent him deeper. When I went to get him out of it he refused to leave it. He conjured plants that forced me to stay away from him. I can't get near him so long as the plants guard the entrance."**

"What do you mean he kept laying images from the nightmare over the pleasant dreamscape you were trying to give him? Maybe what's pleasant for you isn't for him? I do not mean to offend but I must know what these images were in order to understand whether or not he was running away from the dreams he'd had or the ones you were trying to give him."

**Kyuubi growled and paced, with his tails lashing here, there, and everywhere. Everywhere they hit a small fire burned. When they hit the wall, rocks and rubble fell to the ground. When they hit the bars, there was a sizzling until the fires burnt themselves out without damaging the bars. When they hit the Kyuubi, his pseudo-flesh opened in great gashes that trailed fire as if it was blood. Finally he answered. **

"**Both images were actually my doing. When Kit was younger, I was very angry. I sought to punish him for imprisoning me. I didn't know much about human minds so I didn't know I could irrevocably damage his** **through his dreams. I found I could control what he saw there and I found that he was very afraid of bad things that came in the night. I used it against him and since I was also very angry at this village I used the image of people I saw abusing him as the means to give him nightmares. By the time I figured out what I was doing his minds pattern was set. Now anytime someone in this stupid village does something that hurts him he has nightmares where he sees that person destroyed and trying to destroy him. It repeats itself until I break him free of it and it doesn't matter how he actually feels about the person either. The night Kit went to sleep I was actually working on another problem, namely what to do about you and your insatiable need to pry into things that are none of your business, and didn't see the nightmare until Kit was deeply into it. It had already repeated several times by the time I realized what was happening and broke him free but there was one image he couldn't let go of. One person he couldn't stop seeing try to kill him. So in order for him to forget I sent him deeper. The plants I had used as an image to try and calm his mind became the plants that keep me from reaching him now."**

"A few more questions if I may be so bold, Mr. Kyuubi?"

**Kyuubi just looked at her.**

"Who was the image of? And why are you so set against me helping him take off his mask? There are people in this village who would very much like to get to know the real boy he is. And finally where are these plants that won't let you through?"

"**As to the first question, the answer is the woman he respects above all others. There's only one woman he has any respect for at all so it shouldn't take you long to figure that one out. Your second question is equally simple. Kit and I created his mask to keep him safe from the ignorance of this stupid village. You propose to tell them we have been making fools of them for years. Just how do you think they are gonna react when they find out the village idiot is actually every bit as smart as that lazy Nara kid and every bit as talented as the Uchiha spawn and as highborn as they're precious Hyuuga family? This vessel of mine outranks everyone in this town except the woman he respects. And finally just walk towards the darkest area. You'll come to a bluish green door and that door will take you straight to the passage blocked by the plants."**

"What do you mean he's highborn? I thought no one knows who his parents are?"

"**I do. I smelled his father on the night I attacked this worthless place trying to get my betrayer and I smelled his mother on him when his father held him before me and made his deal with the devil. I got sealed but I knew who my jailor was from day one and although this village forgot pretty damned fast I never did. Now go. Rescue my Kit."**

"I'll do my best Kyuubi No Kitsune." She watched as the Fox turned his back on her and began pacing his cage again, his tails waving with less agitation than before. He obviously felt better but she wasn't sure that was a good sign. She thought about it and decided she really had no choice but to follow his instructions. She turned back the way she had come and headed for the darkest spot she could see. The dark became absolute and she put her hand out to her side so she could feel the wall and let her hand be her eyes. The only problem she had was how was she going to recognize the door when she couldn't see colors in this darkness?

"Conjure a light," came Inoichi's voice. She had forgotten all about him being with her and she laughed ruefully at herself as she followed his bidding. With the light held on her palm she could now see where she was going. She saw that there were several doors here but two of them interested her very much. One was golden and sparkling, beckoning to her and though she was tempted to open it she passed it by. Kyuubi might get very angry if she went snooping here now. She had a job to do and that was wake Kit, as he called the boy, up. The second door was such a deep black it almost wasn't a door at all. Whatever was behind that door had to be very, very bad.

From a distance she heard the Kyuubi say, "**It is. That is where I store every nightmare image Kit has ever had. Every one including this last one. You don't want to go there. No one makes nightmares as well as a Demon, Mortal. Remember that."**

"And the golden door, Master Kyuubi?" she thought.

"**His special persons including the most special but they don't concern you either right now. Go get my Kit."**

"I am. I am still moving, looking for the door." She found it finally and pulled it open to see a massive amount of vines and ivy all waving around as if they were alive and determined to grab whoever came too close. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then another and another. Her pulse rate dropped as her thoughts slowed down. The plants settled to hang limply from the walls and ceiling of the new passage and she could see Naruto laying down curled into a fetal position. One hand was curled into his hair while the thumb of the other was in his mouth. His eyes were closed and she knew he was deeply sleeping but as she put her hand on his shoulder his eyes popped open and he stared at her with curiosity.

"Why are you here? And how did you find me? No one finds me when Kyuubi helps me hide?" He was still too tired to guard his thoughts but since she was in his mind it probably wouldn't have done any good to try.

"Come on Naruto. It's time you woke up. Kyuubi is worried about you as are all of the villagers who care about you."

He snorted and said, "Well that isn't very many then. I can count those on one hand. I'll go see Ky. . .Hey wait a minute. How would you know Kyuubi is worried about me and if you know Kyu how come you are freaking out like any other stupid civilian?" He finished with a yell.

"Umm because Kyuubi isn't so bad to talk to if he is treated with the respect he deserves. He is a king. But maybe it was his worry for you and the pain he's caused you that made him seem to be not so bad."

Naruto, as he saw himself, wasn't much different from the way he was in the real world. The kid didn't build himself as more than he really was. He even copied those whiskers on his face that marked him for all to see as a Human Sacrifice and the orange colored clothing. "So you're in my mind right now?" he asked her staring around and starting to panic.

"Yes but now that you're awake as soon as I know you can get out of here I will leave."

"Too late for that isn't it? You already done all your snooping." He made a face of disgust but stomped past her and up the hall without paying the slightest bit of attention to the receding plants.

Watarimono tried to tell him she didn't pry but the words wouldn't leave her mouth because she knew it wasn't strictly true. She had asked the Fox questions and he had given her the answers. Answers that she only partially needed in order to awaken him. So she simply followed him down the hallway and back to the room she had found herself in when she had entered his mind.

"Leave. Now." He pointed to the exit before he turned and walked toward the Kyuubi's cage. He walked right up to the bars and she watched amazed as the Kyuubi wrapped the kid in his tails and pulled him into the cage so he could rest his head on Naruto's bright yellow one. She couldn't deny the feeling the image gave her and it wasn't hate.

She turned and left his mind. A few seconds later she opened her eyes and released her hold on Inoichi so he could reenter his own mind. As soon as both their eyes opened Tsunade began checking her machines and running medical scans on them to be sure they were alright and asking questions at the same time.

"Well, did you find him? How do we wake him up? What caused him to lapse into this state anyway?" She shot her questions rapid fire at Watarimono.

"He should be waking up any time now. He's safe and Kyuubi did it accidently. Who is the woman he respects most in this town? The only woman he respects?"

Kakashi stood up straight. This was interesting. What was she implying?

Tsunade looked at her an shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "I guess he respects me but he never shows respect to anyone so it's hard to say."

From his position next to Kakashi, Iruka laughed and said, "You sure are blind sometimes Hokage-sama. You are very special to him. He has never respected any other woman enough to give her a steady nickname. Naruto may not show his respect in the normal fashion but he does show it in his own unique way. You are his Oba-chan. No one else."

"So Tsu, it seems you're the reason he was in that coma."

"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!" To say Tsunade was pole-axed was to say the sky was blue on a sunny day or that the world was round. Her shout could be heard all the way to Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Nurses came running to find their boss staring at Watarimono in full blown shock.

Behind her on the bed a boyish laughter rang out startling everyone.

"I did not cause this, Wata. You will explain that statement later," she promised. Then she turned her attention to Naruto engulfing him in a warm hug and threatening to beat him into a soupy pulp if he ever did that again.

"Oba-chan," he gasped, arms and legs flailing. "Can't breathe. . .Need air."

"Tsunade-hime, you're choking him." Jiraiya pulled on her arms and pushed on Naruto trying to gain him some air. "He's turning blue Tsunade-hime," he warned her.

She let go and Naruto sat gasping and holding his arms in a warding motion to prevent anyone else from getting too close until he could breathe again. When he had his breath back she asked how he felt.

"I'm fine as always. When can I get out of here?" He asked already looking forward to getting away from the antiseptic smell overlaying the odor of sick people and rampant infections that invaded the hospital. For most people the smell of the room deodorizers covered the massive amount of other smells but for one with his sense of smell it only added to the nauseating mix.

Sasuke stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder and every adult in the room was surprised by the silent communication between the two with that simple touch and the nod that Naruto gave him. Everyone wondered just what had been said without words and if it was possible for them to learn this language. Sasuke left the room as one by one his other visitors stepped forward to let him know they were glad he was back with them.

Only Jiraiya had an actual question. "Gaki, when we found you, you had some interesting things in that cave. You don't mind if I read some of those scrolls you had in there do you?"

"Actually, you keep your nosy appendage out of my scrolls Ero-Sannin. If I find any of them missing I'll rip a hole in your hide not even Oba-chan will be able to sew back together." Naruto gave him a narrow-eyed gaze that just dared him to press the issue. "Stay out of my business, Ero-Sannin. I know what kind of information you look for and what you do with it. I'll be damned if I show up in one of your perverted books."

"Ok, ok." Jiraiya waved his hands in front of his body and backed away from his part-time student. Then when he judged he was far enough away he turned and fled the room. Oh well, he thought. Sasuke doesn't know he said no. I'll just tell him Naruto said to give me whichever scrolls I wanted. He grinned and rubbed his hands together gleefully.

Slowly the room emptied until only Iruka was left at his bedside. Once they were alone he looked ruefully at his pseudo-brother and said, "So I guess now I have to find a new bolt hole huh?"

Iruka nodded and said, "I think it'll be pretty hard to get any privacy for awhile though. Everyone got a good scare when Kyuubi flared his chakra and we all realized no one knew where you were. Hadn't known since the day you and I had gone for ramen together. Are you really ok Naruto? Don't lie to me either."

"I'll be fine." He grinned. "Well, as fine as I ever am anyway."

"When's the last time you ate? I found a half-burned ramen cup in the ashes of your fire but there wasn't any other sign of you having eaten anything else."

"I had that ramen right before I went to sleep but I really don't know how long ago that was."

"Well we found you yesterday about midmorning. I do know from Kakashi that you have missed two days of practices, something about which Sakura can't make up her mind whether she is happy or ticked over. Expect her to react as usual though I think this time she won't be getting away with it. That woman that went into your mind is not happy about how everyone just lets that girl do whatever she wants to you. And I have to say I never did understand why you let her get away with it in the first place."

"It fit the image I was building. There were several times it was really hard to hold back from beating her back but how would it look to the villagers if she came home covered in the bruises she deserves? The villagers would have lynched me on the spot just on the strength of her pointy sharp nose. She wouldn't have needed to even say a word. So I let her get away with it and Fox helped to control my temper. He's been helping me with my image for years, you know."

Iruka shook his head and glanced down. He then looked at the young man he'd come to think of as a younger brother. "You know I know you don't think that highly of either one of your senseis but Kakashi never left here. He was out in the hall when Tsunade was examining you trying to figure out why you were in the coma and then as soon as her team left he came in and spent the night sitting in that chair." He indicated the chair on the other side of the bed. "Maybe you should reconsider?"

"Depends."

"On what?" asked Kakashi from the doorway.

"On you, I guess." Naruto shrugged looking around Iruka-sensei towards Kakashi-sensei.

"Nani?"

"You've made it pretty clear over the years that you really don't think you have any need to teach me anything. I put up with you choosing to train Sasuke in your best techniques because you were right. He needed to learn them right then and there but other than how to climb a tree with chakra what exactly have you taught me, Kakashi-sensei? Teamwork? I don't think so. Kyuubi and I have been practicing teamwork all my life. I'd be dead if I hadn't have learned that lesson long before I even met you. Stealth work? Again I don't think so. Haven't you noticed I can disappear better than anyone even though I am the only ninja you have ever seen who wears the brightest damn orange money can buy? You don't really think you taught me that do you?"

Iruka laughed and interrupted him. "Naruto don't burst all his ego. Leave him something."

"Well, eh. . ." he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "He did teach me how to use my chakra to climb trees which was the first step in controlling this massive beast most call a chakra pool."

Kakashi walked around the bed and sat on the chair he'd occupied last night. He thought about what Naruto had said and realized he was right. He really hadn't taught him anything. Truly the only thing he'd taught him was how to play favorites and pass your responsibilities off to other people and that last was a lesson he knew Naruto would never learn. Finally, looking Naruto straight in the eye, he said, "Gomen-nasai, Naruto. I promise not to be so blind to your need to learn anymore. Sasuke has also pointed out my near-sightedness though not for the same thing. He was more upset because we both allow Sakura to act like such a shrew around you. She will not be allowed to do that anymore and her lessons began yesterday. I promise they will continue until she finally gets the message that we do not beat on our allies and friends. We only beat on our enemies."

Naruto laughed and said, "Then she'll never understand. As far as she's concerned I am the enemy. The enemy between her and Sasuke."

"Does Sasuke really like you in that way, Naruto?" asked Iruka. He was relieved when Naruto shook his head in the negative.

"We're just good friends, brothers the same as you and I are, joined by a common bond. It's the same bond you and I have Iruka-sensei. We are all orphans. Each of us lost our parents and family as children. The same rock guided each of us. We all had the wisdom of the Old-man to hold us on the right course." He smiled and rubbed his neck again. "So I guess you could say if we are all like brothers it's because we were all brought up by the wisdom and love of the same man. Sandaime Hokage truly was the greatest Hokage ever but when it is my turn I will do my level best to outshine him. I owe him that." His gaze was locked on the monument outside his window so he didn't notice he had gathered a crowd again until someone started clapping.

He blinked and looked to the doorway. There stood all his friends plus the present Hokage, Shizune, Watarimono, Jiraiya (who was sporting a very fresh swollen jaw and a black eye) Kurenai, Asuma, (who felt honored that Naruto had remembered his father that way) and Guy.

He laughed and shouted out, "HI GUYS! Come on in!"

**Two Tails: Ta da another chapter for you all to enjoy!**

**Rose: I wrote these last three chapters all in the same day and now my hands really hurt so it might be a few more days before I can type anymore. Please be patient with me. Hope you enjoy the story and don't forget to send me your reviews. Til next time.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Rose: Well Two-Tails asked me to make a slight change in the way I type things in my stories so Chapter names and numbers will now be in bold type as well things said by non-real entities (like Inner Sakura and Kyuubi). Mainly he wanted me to do this cause I have a tendency to type more than one chapter in a sitting and he gets frustrated when he's looking for the start of them to do his job.** **Poor Baby. :P**

**Disclaimer: Naruto and his friends and enemies aren't mine. So sad but I wasn't fast enough at creating him. Probably cause I'm not Japanese and didn't think of it.**

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**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Agreement**

A week later Tsunade finally agreed to let Naruto escape his jail. . .I mean get out of the hospital. Of course, he had to put up Watarimono and Ino visiting for several hours every day trying to chip his metaphysical mask. And of course his release had only come about because he'd promised not to avoid the pair anymore. Not that avoiding them was necessary since Watarimono hadn't endorsed his release until she'd extracted her own promise from him. Now he was stuck, he thought glumly. That damned woman. He kicked a rock on the sidewalk and it went flying.

He made the turn into the Uchiha District and stepped up to Sasuke's door. Before he could knock Sasuke opened it and he stepped inside quickly. Both of them knew fangirls would have a spy posted nearby to notice when Sasuke came and went from his residence. Sasuke escorted Naruto to the hidden room where he'd stashed his stuff with Hinata, Kurenai, and Iruka's help.

"So how'd you get away?" Sasuke asked. When it was just the two of them Sasuke talked like any normal boy his age.

"Don't want to talk about it," Naruto groused. "Damn nosy woman."

"Hn. Tell me about it."

"Had to agree to be myself for the next two weeks. Stupid woman. You?"

"I have to emcee that stupid music contest at the Festival. At least you can still hide here during it."

Naruto shook his head in the negative. "Nope. I have to preform during that contest. Some idiot told her that when the Rookies get together I do karoke. Probably Ino."

"Well, just do your loud act again. None of them know it isn't your real voice."

"Can't. Hinata knows. That and the fact that I won't be allowed to dress in my normal clothes. No secrets allowed for the next two weeks."

"Damn. You mean you can't even hide what you think of people? You can't act like you're to stupid to understand the insults and glares? No more orange baggy clothes? Nothing?"

"Nope none of it is allowed. I have to be one hundred percent true and Fox is backing her up."

"Oh shit and I thought having to be the emcee was bad but damn. This place is gonna be a death trap for you."

"She says with all the training I've received, I am perfectly capable of defending myself against anyone stupid enough to threaten me. Stupid woman. And I can't just hide out some where until the night of the contest. I have to appear somewhere in town at least once a day for at least an hour. And it has to be somewhere people are gathered together. A bar, which I stay out of unless we're all getting together, a store, most of which I can't even get in the door of, or a restaurant for a meal."

"Well, I guess we'll be eating a lot of ramen for the next couple of weeks then."

"No. Ichi's is forbidden too. She knows I'm comfortable there and Tsunade told her I eat too much of it to be healthy so I can't go there or buy any ramen for the duration. She's determined to kill me."

"Daaammmmmmn. Yeah . . .she is." Sasuke just stared open-mouthed. He'd thought she was being hard on him but damn. All she'd made him agree to was doing that emcee thing. And the villagers loved him. They hated Naruto. If he went through on this he, Sasuke, would be burying his only real friend before the week was out. Sasuke determined to get Iruka and Hinata to help guard Naruto until this was over and the two of them were free again to be who they wanted to be. "But why? I don't understand why she's being so hard on you. There has to be a reason."

"Tsunade."

"Huh"

"Tsunade told her I am her chosen successor and she doesn't like the idea of a Hokage who wears such a complete mask as I do. She says the Hokage shouldn't have a mask on at all so, even though they didn't want the whole thing removed, she is determined to rip it so completely away I'll never be able to hide again."

"Then we tell. We tell the Hokage of this deal and she'll get concessions for you. If she doesn't agree then we'll tell the Ero-Sannin. He hates her poking and prodding almost as much as you do."

"Tsunade already knows. Blasted woman drew up a scroll listing all of her demands before she would agree to my release. Tsunade was the witness to my signature and signed her own name to each condition." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway I have to get my guitar so I can practice before I get humiliated." He sat down at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands. "It was bad enough when they laughed and mocked my image. That wasn't real so I could laugh at them. But this. This will be me. Every insult; every barb; every rock and stone. . . It's gonna be the real me they're hurled at. It was bad when I was six. But now. . ."

"I'll be here." Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder. "And there are others who already know the real you. They'll be there too. We won't let you down. Trust us."

"It's not that I don't but . . .you and Iruka have never had to see the real me go through what this farce is going to send me through and you know it."

Sasuke left Naruto alone at the table and called Kurenai to come release the seal she'd put on the room with Naruto's things. She came right over and noticed how somber both the young men were.

Thinking it was due to the loss of his sanctuary, she said, "Don't worry Naruto. You'll find another place."

He just stared out the window at the rain that had started after he'd entered the house. The rain matched his mood he thought as he watched it streaming down the windows. Once Kurenai had released the seal he reached in and pulled out his guitar and after a minute of digging through the scrolls he found the two he wanted and stuck them inside his jacket.

"Did you get your journal?" Kurenai asked and was surprised when he closed his eyes.

Sasuke snapped his head towards Naruto, knowing there was another condition to that release he hadn't been told yet. He was about to ask her to leave when Kurenai said, "A lot of people have been asking to have it while you were in the hospital but Sasuke told them to go do themselves." She laughed as she headed for the door. "Don't give in, Naruto. No one has the right or need to see your private thoughts." She walked out the door into the pouring rain and disappeared never seeing the surprised look on his face.

"Told you. Now what did you agree to about that journal that you didn't want to tell me?"

"I'm supposed to either give it to Tsunade or to HER so they can see how my mind works through my own thoughts but I can't. This isn't a journal of my thoughts, Sasuke. It's. . ." He shook his head and shivered. "I was gonna ask you to burn it and say you'd done so while I was in the hospital but now that Kurenai knows you were actually guarding it I can't."

"Hn. Give it to me." He held his hand out. Naruto hesitated and he said, "Kurenai is right. They have no right to know what you aren't willing to tell them and they are stupid to put you through all this crap. Just because you were going nuts in there they got concessions they wouldn't have gotten from anyone who didn't have your enhanced senses. So hand it over."

Naruto pulled it out and stared at it for a few minutes. Sasuke took it away from him and said, "I'm not going to destroy it. I'm going to hide it and they will not get it. Ever. YOU will decide who gets to see it and no one else."

Naruto gave him a shaky smile and stood up. "Well, I guess it's show time. Like it or not." He took a deep breath and headed for the door.

"Wait up. I told you. You aren't going to go through this alone. Give me a minute to put this somewhere safe and then I'll go with you."

"You hate being in public places due to all those stupid girls. No need for both of us to suffer."

"We'll go to Hinata's and to Iruka's and get them to come along. We'll also tell them of these concessions."

"Hinata? Why her?"

"She is the one that knew where you were and helped to hide your treasures. She's been aware of who you are for longer than I have and she hasn't betrayed you yet. She won't like this any better than Iruka will." Sasuke went into a room Naruto knew was his father's old study and came back out with out the scroll a few minutes later. "It should be safe where it is until I can think of a different hiding spot. Now let's get this circus on the road."

They left the Uchiha District together and a few minutes later they were standing at Iruka's door and explaining the situation to him. His eyes narrowed and he frowned but after a brief trip inside he came back with his jacket and they set off for Hinata's place.

She was actually just heading home but they stopped her and told her about the blackmail the Hokage and her friend had subjected Naruto to and she turned on her heel. Her reaction took all three of the guys by surprise and they just stood staring as she marched towards the Hokage's tower. Yes marched was the word for the way she was moving. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and promised pain for someone as did the set of her shoulders. In fact there wasn't anything about her present posture that didn't say someone was gonna die. . .painfully.

After a quick look at each other the guys decided to follow her. Whatever she was gonna do was gonna be something none of them wanted to miss. Well, Naruto didn't want her to do anything that would get her into trouble but Sasuke and Iruka were interested in just who she was blaming for this mess.

Hinata stormed through the halls of the Tower intent on reaching her destination. Behind her ninja of various ranks, from genin all the way up to jounin scrambled to intercept her path but she was fury unleashed as her hands flew to connect with them and cut off their tenketsus whenever they got too close. "Move," she said in a quiet voice to the two Anbu that guarded Tsunade's office. When they didn't comply she slid gracefully into position and let loose with her Gentle Fist on them and both dropped to the floor two minutes later.

She pushed open the door and marched straight up to Tsunade's desk. "Where is that Bitch?"

Tsunade blinked. She had been relaxing and congratulating herself over getting the concessions from Naruto. Sure, she knew they'd gone farther than they should have but each of them was something that someone important to him wanted so she thought it was ok. But she hadn't counted on having Hinata angry over it all and it was obvious she was more than angry. Deciding to play it off she asked, "Who?"

"That. . .that. . .WOMan you brought here to hurt Naruto-kun. Where is she?"

"I didn't bring anyone here to hurt him. Calm down Hinata. He's not gonna get hurt." That had the opposite effect than she was looking for. Hinata got angrier.

"You FOOL," she said. Her voice was a mere whisper but each word was perfectly clear. "That you would hurt him like this after claiming to care for him. Constantly you say he is like a favorite nephew, the son you never had. But you'd never treat your son this way. You'd never ever use his disgust of the hospital against him like that if he was really like a son to you. And then you have the nerve to say he won't get hurt. He's hurting now!" Her voice had risen with each sentence until by the time she finished she was shouting. Since she hadn't closed the office door people were gathering in the outer office and listening as the normally very shy Hyuuga lived up to her clans reputation as Shinobi not to mess around with.

Tsunade rose from her chair and walked around Hinata to close the door, cutting off her words from the gossip hounds. Then she turned and looked at the shy heiress sternly and said, "If he hadn't chosen to hide so much away and refuse to meet with her like I wanted him to then none of this would have been necessary. If he's hurting now, he'll heal and be better for it. Believe it or not you are not the only person in this village that loves him. But unlike you I can't spend the better part of my day following him at a distance to see what he's hiding away. I have a job to do."

"Making him go into public places for at least an hour every day. Places where he knows he's not welcome. You think this isn't going to hurt? Are you stupid or just blind?"

"That's enough. You may not agree with the decision but it has been made because it is in his best interest. It's time he learned that he can go anywhere he wants in this village. He's not a little kid anymore where the shop keepers can and will manhandle him."

"You don't deserve to know the real Naruto and you don't deserve the respect he gives you." Hinata pushed past the stunned Hokage and left with tears in her eyes.

The guys had stood in the outer office totally floored when they heard Hinata go off on the Hokage. Now when she came out they went to her and surrounded her and together they left the building. Outside they stood waiting for Naruto to decide where they would go to fulfill his part of the concessions for the day.

"How about a park? We're a group so if we can find a private spot that should suffice. Luckily they didn't specify who has to see me during my hour of exposure." Sasuke smirked and led the way. He knew of a very private rarely used but very public park.

Once Hinata had left with Naruto, Sasuke and Iruka, Jiraiya came out of hiding and whistled. "I told you this was a bad idea, Tsunade-hime."

"Oh shut-up," she growled as she moved back to her desk. Watarimono came in with Kakashi and both took a seat on the couch.

It was Kakashi who spoke first, "What did Naruto want? Did he try to get out of the contract you forced upon him?"

"We didn't force him to sign it. He had the right to refuse," said Watarimono.

Kakashi snorted, sounding more like Sasuke than Sasuke did. "No he didn't. If he'd refused to sign away his life she'd have kept him pinned down for you to worm into his mind forever, making him sick off of the smells in that damn place as well as making him a sitting duck for anyone who still thinks he's a demon that needs to be put down."

"True," said Jiraiya.

"You have no room to talk. You're getting his journal out of it," muttered Tsunade. She fixed her gaze on Kakashi. "You really think there are still people in town who will try to kill him because of the Fox?"

He nodded. "You're in on this too Jiraiya? Damn. I knew you were rough in his training but I did think you had some respect for him." He shook his head in disappointment.

"Hey I do but boys his age have all kinds of fantasies they write about in things like that," Jiraiya protested.

"He doesn't write about any fantasies. He doesn't even think about girls that way if he can help it and he'd damn sure not write it down somewhere you could read it."

"Well then what does he write about?" Jiraiya was perplexed. "Boys his age can't think of much else. That scroll has to be full of fodder for my next novel."

Kakashi didn't answer but he knew Naruto well enough to know that he definitely would not write about something he didn't believe he could ever have. Whatever Naruto found important enough to write about it wasn't gonna be sex.

Tsunade spoke again. "You said we forced him into it. Something about the smell of the hospital making him sick. What did you mean by that? The hospital is kept very clean and we have deodorizers all over the place."

"Yeah and for people that don't house a demon they are strong enough to block all the odors that are bound to be in a place like that but not for him. He can smell an infection before the wound even gets that angry red color. So for him, the hospital isn't the place to get well. It's a place to go if he wants to get physically sick. He may not get the flu or a common cold thanks to his friend but those smells will still upset his stomach. How would you like to be queasy every day all day and know that unless you signed over your life you'd have to put up with it every day from now on? You made it quite clear he wasn't getting out of there without signing your paper. You wouldn't even negotiate it with him. He had no choice and it was blackmail."

Tsunade hung her head. But Kakashi wasn't done. He kept quiet when Tsunade had said she wanted Watari to work with his students because he did think she could help them but this went too far and he knew it. "For the person he respected most in this town, you sure know how to hurt him. Don't worry. None of those stupid villagers will hurt him anywhere near as much as you have by being involved with this. Even Sakura didn't hurt him like this. She couldn't. He didn't care what she thought of him. I'm disappointed in all three of you and I don't see anyway you can ever make this right but if I was you, that's what I'd put my collective mind to now. However I'm sure you want to pat yourselves on the back now so I'll leave you to it." He stood up and before anyone could say anything he poofed away.

At the small park in the center of town the group of four sat under a Sakura tree and listened as Naruto strummed his guitar. They carried on a discussion as to who would help him and be at his side at all times throughout the coming days. "She made you agree not to buy any ramen but that doesn't mean you can't eat it does it," asked Hinata.

"No but since Sakura trashed my apartment she knows I don't have anymore of it. And by making me agree not to go to Ichiraku's for the whole two weeks I can't have any from there."

Hinata grinned. "But we can. And we can bring it here when we come for our get-together every day. Each of us goes and buys three bowls?" She looked at Naruto and he nodded. "And when we meet here. Naruto can have two of mine and two of each of yours while we each have one. That way Naruto gets one meal he likes every day and he gets full too."

They all laughed as Sasuke added, "And by meeting here we've kept the second of her proclamations. You'll be in a public place with people around. Who cares that we all already knew the real Naruto before they stuck their noses in?"

"Yeah but I feel like we're forgetting something tricky about that contract," worried Iruka. Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. He gave it a brief look and then tossed it to Iruka.

"That's it. I got to keep a copy so I wouldn't forget any of the conditions."

"Hm. . . They were pretty thorough. They demanded that you show your true self in manner of dress and personality. That you appear in a public place for at least one hour everyday, said place to be a public place that anyone may go to and that said place not be Ichiraku's ramen bar and that while in said place you shall show your true self in manner of dress and in personality. They go on to demand that you turn over your journal to one of the below named people for study and that you perform during the festival music contest. And at least once per day you must meet with Watarimono for a counseling session."

Naruto nodded but said nothing. The quartet sat and listened to his playing as they waited for the hour to wind down. When it was nearly done, He took his fingers off the strings and stored the instrument away in it's case before slinging it to his back as he stood up. "Come on. Let's go see what if anything I still have in my apartment."

Together they left the park and walked the short distance to his rundown tenement building. One after another they climbed the stairs and waited as Naruto unlocked the door. He led them inside and Hinata went to check his kitchen while Iruka looked with Sasuke into what was in the bathroom and living room. Naruto went into his bedroom and checked to see how many shirts and pants he still owned. Like he thought most of his clothes were gone or destroyed. He'd have to go buy some new ones. "Hey Sasuke, Where do you shop for clothes?" he called out."

"I'll take you tomorrow. Why? What happened to your clothes?" was the answer.

"Either Tsunade decided to throw out my comfortable clothes or the villagers destroyed them or a combination of the two. I'll bet she threw out everything orange and the villagers destroyed the rest of them," was the answer.

"Makes sense," said Iruka. "At least they replaced your furniture for you so we can work on replacing your books and things." Just then someone knocked on the door and they all froze wondering who it was. All of them knew no one ever came to see Naruto with friendly intentions unless it was one of them or maybe Kakashi, who sometimes stopped by to check up on him.

Hinata whispered to Naruto, "Did you have your session for the day already?" He nodded and they went back to staring at the door as the knock sounded again.

"Open up, you Baka. I know you're in there and I have a bone to pick with you," yelled Sakura.

"Crap!" muttered Naruto, walking across the room to open the door. Sasuke, Iruka and Hinata went into defensive stances prepared to defend him if she wasn't polite.

She pushed him back into the apartment and lambasted him with every step for all the trouble he'd caused with his spoilt selfish behavior. "Because of your behavior I lost my temper. I came here looking for you and because you live in a dump that you never clean, I got blamed for the damage and now my paychecks are being garnished to pay for the repairs that had to be done to make this dump livable again. And then I got tied to a stump because I couldn't find you. Just where the Hell were you? And what made you think for one damn minute that you had the right to go into hiding anyway? You're the weakest person on our team and you think you can skip practice. You need it more than either my Sasuke-kun or I do. We at least have a real skill to bring to the team." She accentuated each word with a finger jabbed at his very hard muscular chest but she was so angry at all the punishment she'd had to endure that she didn't notice. She did notice when Sasuke shot a very narrow stream of fire between her and him. He stepped back until he stood between Hinata and Iruka.

"Touch me again, Harpy, and I will show you weak," said Naruto in a perfectly calm voice.

"Do not threaten me Baka. You're nobody and not even worth my little finger." For the first time she noticed Sasuke and her whole appearance underwent an instant change as she gushed, "Oh Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here? This place isn't worth you defiling your feet to come to just to give this Baka the lecture he so richly deserves. You should have realized I'd take care of it for you as soon as I heard he'd been released from the hospital." She went to latch onto his arm and found that Iruka was now shielding the Uchiha from her advance. She tried to go around him but found Hinata in her way.

"Come now Sasuke-kun. I'll take care of this and he'll never dare to interfere with our training schedule again. After this lesson I would be very much surprised if he doesn't wake up and realize he doesn't have what it takes to be a ninja. Let me get you out of here and then I'll come back and teach him to mess with you and I."

"Get out Sakura. Your presence defiles my home," Naruto said clearly enunciating every word.

She didn't even glance at him. She was still trying to find a way past the human barrier that was Sasuke's friends who were just as determined not to let her touch him. Since Naruto hadn't been able to shut his door when she barged her way inside yelling at him, Kakashi just walked in. He did give a knock on the open door but since he knew the apartment was supposed to be off-limits for Sakura he came straight in.

"Sakura, you were asked to leave by the owner of this residence," he said in a firm voice. "If you do not voluntarily vacate the premises in the next three seconds I will be forced to notify the Hokage of your presence here and the violation of your punishment that strictly forbids you from being in or near Naruto's residence."

"I just came by to let the Baka know how much trouble he made for me and Sasuke-kun," Kakashi-sensei. As soon as I've gotten it through his thick skull never to do it again I will be happy to leave." She balled up her fist and pulled her arm back at her side. Before she could even try to throw the punch Kakashi sent her flying over the stairwell railing outside the apartment.

She landed in a heap in the street below and wouldn't you know the rain from earlier had left a nice wet puddle behind in just the spot she landed. Dirty rain water soaked through the back of her pink shirt and drenched her hair as well. She stood up with an angry scream and tore back up the stairs but Kakashi was ready for her and again she went flying. He threw her out every time she tried to climb back up and force her way past him. Each time she landed on or in something nasty; a rain puddle; a pile of dog poo; a heap of garbage; something nasty. Finally she stood in the street and yelled up, "I will see you outside this apartment Baka and I will have my revenge." Then she stormed off and Kakashi asked for permission to enter Naruto's home.

Naruto motioned him in as he went to shut the door. "What can I do for you Kakashi-sensei and thanks for getting rid of her. She was getting . . . troublesome. For both Sasuke and I."

"Mainly I just wanted to let you know I do not agree with what Watari and the Hokage are doing. You're entitled to your privacy and they are violating it. I told them that after Hinata left the office. Sorry I didn't stop it before they got you to sign that blasted scroll but I didn't know what they were doing until Watari came home crowing about it. I will help you in any way I can to get thru these next two weeks."

"I'm glad to hear that Sensei. Cause tomorrow I have to go get some clothes and you know how these merchants are. Sasuke has already agreed to show me where he shops but that doesn't mean I can shop there."

Kakashi nodded. "Anything else?"

"Can anyone get me something to eat tonight?" I know that kitchen is empty. No way would those vandals leave edible food in my kitchen if they destroyed the furniture."

"Oh the vandals didn't destroy your furniture. That was Sakura. That's also why she isn't allowed near this place anymore and I will be telling the Hokage she came by and was threatening you. The Hokage seems to have this misbegotten idea that the villagers have accepted you and that you can go where ever you want to go," Kakashi informed him.

Naruto laughed. He found this to be absolutely hilarious. His friends just watched as he bent over trying to catch his breath. "What. Did she forget about having to replace everything in this dump?"

"Apparently she did indeed."

"Naruto, let's go to my place and I'll give you dinner tonight," said Iruka. "Everyone is welcome since we're all determined to help him out now. Bring that guitar. I like listening to you play."

Naruto picked it up and they left for Iruka's. On the street, Neji met up with them and informed Hinata that her father was waiting for her so she excused herself for the night. Naruto thanked her for her company that day and wished her a safe night before the four guys turned away and went onto Iruka's for dinner and companionship. Kakashi stayed and enjoyed the playing as much as Iruka did. Naruto could really play well. He knew Sasuke didn't really sleep any better than he did most nights so he took it as a compliment when he fell asleep while he was playing. Both Iruka and Kakashi were relaxed and comfortable as he played. The music was soothing and they felt their anger over the tricks of the day disappear in the music.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author Notes: I hope you're all enjoying the story and if you have any questions or think I've forgotten something just enclose it in a review and I'll try to take care of it for you. I do check my reviews several times a day. (How can I improve if I don't. Haha) I have included another music session in this chapter. The song is the same one he sings in the cave so if you don't like reading words to songs feel free to skip it. Since I usually don't copy other artist work I will try to make sure that if I included a poem or a song in one of my stories that it is an original and relevant to the character who is performing it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto but I do own Watarimono and her daughters. They're mine. All mine... Rahhhhhhhhahaha**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Well Laid Plans**

The next morning while Iruka headed off to the academy to teach the children, Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto headed for the commercial district of Konoha. Sasuke led the way to his preferred store. They entered separately and browsed through different racks. Kakashi was looking for basics like socks and underclothes while Sasuke browsed for random things he thought might interest Naruto. Naruto just tried to stay out of sight of the counter while looking for anything that might cover his person well enough to meet the terms of that contract.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "Come check this out." He indicated a shirt he was looking at and Sasuke came over to see. "I think this would look pretty good on you." The shirt was black and white with purple trim but it wasn't garish . The purple was a thin rope-like string that separated the black body of the shirt from the white trim and accentuated the design. It had small purple buttons and mid length sleeves.

"Hn." Sasuke had to admit it was a nice shirt but he was satisfied with his usual attire of blue Uchiha shirt and white shorts. He really didn't think too much about his clothes so long as they were clean and fit well.

"You need a new look Sasuke. You've been wearing that same set of clothes since we were in the academy. Try this with some different pants. Besides, how is wearing white pants when trying to blend in with your surroundings any better than wearing neon orange?"

Kakashi's eye opened wide as the question was asked. He'd never really thought about that before but Naruto did have a point. Sasuke must have thought so too since he started looking at a rack that held pants.

"Try to find some brown or maybe black ones. This shirt would look better with black since it's black and white and purple pants would be just as bad as white ones," said Naruto. The clerk at the counter was looking their way and Naruto vanished over to a stack of shelves that held plain ordinary T-shirts in a variety of colors. He pulled out a butter yellow for wearing around the village, a moss green and a sky blue one that he liked. Then he grabbed four more of various earth tones and added them to the pile of socks Kakashi was holding.

Sasuke had found a pair of black pants he thought would work well for missions and was making his way to the dressing room at the back of the store. "Pick out a back-up outfit Sasuke and try them both on at the same time," interrupted Kakashi. "You'll need at least two outfits for out of town missions you know."

Sasuke turned and headed back to the racks with a scowl on his face. The clerk, recognizing him, came rushing over to try and assist but when he saw Naruto in the store ran back the way he'd come, disappearing behind the curtain that blocked the storeroom from customer view. "Uh-oh. Here we go guys," Naruto said. "Looks like it's show time." Kakashi and Sasuke just looked in the direction the clerk had gone. Both wore grim expressions but neither said a word, knowing he was probably right.

A minute later the owner came out and started yelling at Naruto. "You. Get out of my store. What made you think you could come in here and manhandle my goods? I don't service your kind. Get your hands off my merchandise. My customers won't appreciate your filth all over the clothes they wish to purchase. Get out. Out." He pushed past Kakashi and made to forcibly remove Naruto from the premises. Naruto didn't object. He just turned and walked away.

While this was going on Kakashi sauntered to the counter to pay, grabbing a pair of cords that looked like they'd fit himon his way. Sasuke walked back to the rack he'd gotten the outfit he was holding and lay both pants and shirt over the top. "I will not buy any merchandise from this place again. You have insulted my teammate and thereby insulted me."

The store's owner gushed all over him, "Please Mr. Uchiha. This store would be honored to fulfill your clothing needs. What may I interest you in today? Perhaps a new shirt? Or a pair of nice pants?" he asked, ignoring what Sasuke said.

"You have nothing I am interested in." Sasuke turned away and headed for the door.

"But Mr. Uchiha. You always buy your clothes here. What has caused this change of heart? I will change it."

"You refused to service the needs of my best friend and teammate. You said you don't service his kind but since he is exactly like me that means you do not service me either." Sasuke turned his face away and refused to look at the owner again.

"Oh no Mr. Uchiha. That . . .thing is nothing like you. You are honorable and from a good family. That you call it a teammate shows how good and noble you are. It is a benefit to your nature and more than it deserves but never should you think of yourself as being the same as it is. And you have much more worthy friends than that thing will ever be. I do wish you didn't have to suffer being in it's company so often but though I have voiced my disapproval the council has not yet seen fit to free you from it's presence." The store owner did not know what to think when Kakashi brushed by him and escorted Sasuke out of the store, both of them radiating so much killer intent it was threatening to stop his heartbeat without either of them lifting a finger towards him.

Naruto was waiting for them on the street where the villagers were staring, wondering just what had brought him into the area. "Let's go get my groceries. I've had just about all the hate I can take for one day," he said making it clear that he'd heard every word.

Together they headed for the open air stands that sold fresh produce. The vendors saw them coming and didn't know what to do. They weren't sure who needed their goods so they debated about changing their price signs. For the Uchiha they usually lowered their prices but for the Demon Child they raised them. Some vendors even went to far as to hold back their best produce for the Uchiha while holding garbage for the Demon. These vendors had bags ready for either orphan should they choose to shop their stand.

Sasuke walked to a stand that offered tomatoes for purchase and started to pick some out, while Kakashi paid attention to the produce Naruto looked at. Naruto kept his hands in his pockets and simply let Kakashi purchase his vegetables for him. They got lettuce and cabbage as well as beans, carrots, onions and peppers. Sasuke added some tomatoes, peas and corn to his purchases and smirked as the vendors gnashed their teeth together at seeing the ryu come out of Naruto's pocket.

Next they went to a fruit vendor where they got apples, watermelon, desert pears and star fruit. From the meat vendor they purchased sliced beef, chicken and some pork bits suitable for stews or stir fry. Then they stopped by the dry goods stand and got noodles, potatoes and rice. None of the vendors dared to change their prices even though they now knew who was buying the goods. With both the Uchiha and the Copy-Cat Nin accompaning him it was too dangerous to change them. Kakashi was feeling very much like a pack mule by the time they finished with their purchasing and they tuned towards the residential area of town.

They were almost safe when Sakura stepped into view. "I told you I'd find you," she yelled. Kakashi and Sasuke shared a glance as Naruto just sighed. Sakura started walking towards the three with her eyes locked on Naruto. In an unspoken agreement the guys set their bags down next to the building they were passing and watched her approach. When she was close enough she muttered, "Now you will pay for your actions Baka," she said. She pulled her fist back and came running intending to send Naruto flying but he sidestepped her blow and she face planted into the sidewalk. She picked herself up and with an angry growl turned to swing again. Her taijutsu was pretty good under normal circumstances but she wasn't thinking straight right now.

For a few minutes nothing could be heard except her angry growls as Naruto kept out of her way. He didn't raise a hand against her just stepping aside every time she came near but they were drawing a crowd and the crowd was getting angry. They wanted to see Naruto get the beating he deserved for tricking the vendors but it wasn't happening.

Sasuke and Kakashi had taken up a position guarding the bags of goods they'd bought to keep the angry crowd from destroying them and now they warily watched the fight and the crowd. Kakashi quietly said, "We need to get out of here. It's too crowded."

"Hn."

"Only one problem with that Sensei," said Naruto, never taking his eyes off Sakura who at that moment resembled a Wild Shikome from ancient mythology more than a normal human girl. Her rage was palatable and so long as she was determined to hurt him he needed all his concentration just to stay ahead of her. Even though together they were Team Seven at this moment Sakura was too blinded by her sense of injustice to realize where she was or what was going on. She didn't realize that Naruto was shopping with both Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke helping him.

So Kakashi and Sasuke picked up his bags and handed a few over to him as soon as he was close enough. Then they each took hold of an arm and teleported them all to his apartment. Once they were safely inside Naruto chuckled and said, "We should have done that as soon as we saw her."

"Hn"

"What's her deal anyway? Why is she so dead set on beating me up this time? She can't be thinking that I insulted you again since I didn't." he said directing the last comment to Sasuke.

"She's angry because both Tsunade-sama and I made it clear we didn't like what she did to your home," explained Kakashi.

"What did you do? She said something about being tied up. And what did she do exactly?"

"Umm. Yeah. Remember the posts at the training field? Well I tied her to one and forgot about untying her. She ended up tied there all night the day your houseguest sent out the chakra pulse." He rubbed a hand over his head. "She was pretty steamed about it when she found me in your hospital room the next morning and got punched by Tsunade-sama for yelling in a patients room. That's when Tsunade-sama let her know of her own displeasure with her behavior and banned her from being near your apartment."

Sasuke added, "It took all of us most of two days to repair the damage to this place. We had to fix the hole she left in your bedroom wall where she threw the bed through it and get new doors to hang for you. But because she tore all the doors off and left them down the villagers got in here and finished the job of trashing the place for her."

Kakashi finished the story. "Everyone is pretty upset with her over it. We don't even do this to our enemies. So Tsunade-sama let her know how she felt about it all."

"So she really isn't allowed to come here any more? No more having her come barging into my bedroom or bathroom like she owns the place?" Naruto asked wide eyed.

Kakashi shook his head and said, "Well, at least not unless you invite her. She shouldn't be going into your room or bathroom without an invite anyway but now she can't come here unless she is specifically invited and accompanied by a superior, who will be supervising her behavior."

"Never stopped her before," Naruto muttered. The three of them put away Naruto's food and then sat around talking until Naruto noticed the time. He groaned and said, "Time for my daily torture session, I guess."

They left the apartment and said good-bye to go their separate ways. They agreed to meet up later for their ramen-fest picnic.

Kakashi headed for the tower to inform Tsunade-sama of Sakura's visit to Naruto's last night and her attempt to pick a fight in the market district. Though he was still angry over the way she and Watari had manipulated Naruto he knew she needed to know Sakura was not obeying the injunction.

Sasuke headed for the Uchiha district. He still had to hide that journal in a better location and he wanted to make sure no one had found the rest of Naruto's things he'd left in the cubby. Plus the plant boxes needed tending.

Naruto, meanwhile, made his way to the bench Watarimono had told him she would see him at. He had no intention of telling her anything or allowing her to access his mind again without consequences. Her actions, with the contract she'd forced on him, made her an enemy as far as he was concerned. He found her sitting on the bench with Ino waiting for him and stood awkwardly staring at them.

"Well, I see you decided to come after all," said Watarimono. Ino looked at him in sympathy. She knew why he'd shown up and wasn't comfortable with the position she found herself in. At first she had really liked her new Sensei and thought she had something of benefit to teach her but these days she wasn't so sure. It seemed like her sensei was just about as big a spoilt princess as Sakura was acting like.

"I don't break my word," Naruto said shortly.

"Hmm. So you said but everyone breaks their word sometimes. And especially when giving their word, against their will, is the only way they can get something they want."

"Not Naruto," said Ino softly. How insulting, she thought.

"I don't break my word," he repeated.

"Never?"

"Never."

"Interesting but untrue I'm sure. Well, let's get started. Have a seat." She patted the place next to her on the bench but Naruto sat down on the grass. He was familiar enough with Ino's jutsu to know she didn't need physical contact for it but he was ready for either of them or both of them to try forcing their way into his mind.

"Well, ok I guess you can sit there if it makes you more comfortable. Now just relax. I'm going to enter your mind and talk with the Kyuubi to make sure everything is alright."

"No, you aren't. My mind is private territory. You want to talk to me you use your voice. You want to talk to Kyuubi I'll check to see if he wants to talk with you. But you will not enter my mind like Sakura does my apartment."

He saw the small smile of pleasure Ino hid by turning away and it made him feel better to know she didn't care for this any more than he did. From that smile he knew she wouldn't try to do anything sneaky so he concentrated on the woman instead.

"We had a deal. Kyuubi makes sure you keep your end of the agreement and informs me when you don't. That means that I have to communicate with him daily. Now I am going into your mind and I am going to have a conversation with him and him alone. You will comply or I will inform Tsu that you have violated your contract." Watarimono said forcefully.

"No. That was not in the contract and if you try to forcefully enter my mind against my will I can and will forcefully remove you. What damage that causes to you will be your own fault." He smirked. "Next time think things through more thoroughly. Now. I have met with you today so I will be on my way." He stood up and turned to walk away. He looked back over his shoulder at the stunned woman. "You never specified what if anything had to be accomplished in these sessions or a length of time for them to take place in. So long as I see you once every twenty-four hours even if it is only for a minute I have not violated that stupid contract." He strode away to the tinkling sound of Ino laughing.

On the bench, Watarimono was in shock. How the hell? They thought they'd blocked every avenue of escape but he'd found two ways out and there wasn't a blasted thing she could do about it. She just realized that she was as much a prisoner of that contract as she'd tried to make him and her sense of humor got the better of her. She started laughing and Ino looked at her puzzled.

Finally gaining control of herself she said, "No wonder Tsu loves that boy. He is smart and quick. And I just realized that the way I worded that contract we made him sign he can show up at my door in the middle of the night; say hi and bye and it would count as a visit. Damn." She began laughing again. She stood up pulling Ino up with her. "Come on. We have to tell Tsu how he got around it."

"Ok," said Ino. Privately she was amazed that Watarimono-sensei seemed pleased by this but she said nothing about how glad she herself was. She really didn't like what she'd seen in that contract but she'd seen no way out of it until Naruto had spoken.

A few minutes later they were standing in front of Tsunade's desk explaining to her how Naruto had managed to spoke their wheels and Tsunade couldn't stop a grin. "I told you he's special," she said.

"Yes you did. That was pretty clever. Most people wouldn't have looked past the actual words to find a way out of the contract but since he says he never breaks his word, he looked and found two. Well, two that he told me about. I wonder how many others he found that we don't know about." She looked at Tsunade. "Do you think this will really work, Tsu? I get the feeling that he is keeping to the letter of the contract but not the intent."

Tsunade sighed and her expression turned somber. "I would imagine that he has found a way around every stipulation in there. But he has no choice but to turn over his journal and he has to perform during the music contest in two more days. Those two things are ironclad and we gave him no way out that I can think of."

Kakashi spoke from the couch. "You're not getting the journal. Sasuke lost it. He had to re-hide it from Jiraiya and now he can't remember where he put it so he can't give it to Naruto to turn over." He never raised his eye from his orange book but ducked instinctively as a heavy book flew over his head to bounce off the wall behind him.

"Shush you," Tsunade growled. "Why'd Sasuke have his journal anyway? Why didn't you keep it while he was in the hospital."

"Because Naruto trusts Sasuke a lot more than he does me." Kakashi shrugged, reluctantly closing his book and tucking it away in his side pouch. He looked over to find both Watari and Tsunade-sama staring at him. "I'm more interested in what you plan to do about Sakura than I am in how Naruto gets around what you've already done to him."

"I'll deal with her in person but I want that journal found. You will go tell Sasuke to find it today. I want it on my desk before the day is over and you will see to it that it is."

"No, actually I won't. What a person writes in their private journal is no one's business but their own. You have no right to see it if Naruto doesn't wish you to." He paused and fixed both women with a cold stare. "And he doesn't want you to no matter what he promised in that forced agreement." He stood up and headed for the door.

"You will tell Sasuke to find it and give it to Naruto then so that he can keep his word. Naruto agreed and he never breaks his word no matter the circumstances it was given under. If that scroll isn't in my hands, or Wata's, by the end of the day, I will consider it a breech of his word."

"He doesn't have it to give to you so technically he isn't breaking his word at all but I will pass the message onto Sasuke when I see him. Of course, since training was called off today I'm not sure when that will be." Tsunade growled as he left her office and vanished to meet Iruka at the academy entrance.

"I think we just got beat at our own game Tsu," remarked Watarimono, looking at the door where her lover had just vanished.

Tsunade nodded and then sighed. "It seems Naruto has more real friends than we thought he did. I wonder just how many he really has."

For the first time since coming into the office Ino spoke up. "Naruto has always had good friends. We don't care that he acts like a fool most of the time because we know we can trust him with our lives. If acting the fool has a purpose other than making us laugh, than I am glad of it."

"Of course you are but you aren't helping him by allowing him to continue being false around you," answered Watarimono. "Friends should never be false around friends."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Like Tsunade-sama appearing to be in her thirties when she's around you, isn't being false? Or you appearing to be happy and care-free being a single parent when you're around Kakashi-senpai?" She snorted. "Like it or not even you have a mask. No one is totally honest with anyone and most of us aren't even that honest with the face in the mirror."

Tsunade cleared her throat and mumbled, "Why is everyone being mean to me today?" Outloud she said, "Ok let's drop it for now. We're not getting anywhere and I still need an idea for how to get Sakura to back off and leave him alone."

"I told you when I first got to town to get that girl under control."

"I know and I should have listened then but let's go find her." They left the office and went to find Tsunade's pink-haired assistant.

Kakashi had met up with Sasuke, Hinata and Iruka outside the academy where they all headed off for the ramen stand to buy Naruto his dinner. Since the shopping expedition was done that morning he didn't need to appear in a public place so they took the ramen back to his apartment where they all sat around eating and enjoying the food. Sasuke made himself a tomato sandwich while Iruka fried up some rice with chopped up vegetables for himself, Hinata and Kakashi with Hinata coaching him. They stashed the extra ramen in the refrigerator, making Naruto promise to tell them when he ran out so they could do it again. As they ate, Hinata asked Naruto about the music contest. "What will you sing Naruto?"

He shrugged and said, "I've been trying not to think about that. I really don't want to do it."

"I think you should sing that song you sang the other day at the waterfall," she said shyly.

"What song?" asked Iruka, his curiosity peaked.

Naruto shrugged. "Kyuubi really doesn't like the villagers. He hates this place more now than he did when he attacked all those years ago. So when I have problems with the townspeople he gets very upset and music is the only way I know of to calm him back down. Normally I just play but sometimes I add words. Usually it's not a real song. It's just whatever pops into my head at the time."

"That was a song Naruto-kun." She held out a scroll and Iruka grabbed it. "I didn't know what it was called so I didn't put a name on it but I did copy it for you because it was beautiful.

Iruka's eyes widen and he whistled. He showed the scroll to Sasuke and Kakashi who were sitting together on the couch. Naruto didn't have enough chairs for them all to eat at the kitchen table so they were sitting around his living room with their plates on their laps. "Play it," he demanded.

"**Yeah. Get that funny looking box out and play the song, Kit."**

"Shut up, Furball," Naruto said to the Fox. "And it's call a guitar."

"**Yeah whatever. Just play for me."**

Naruto could sense that the Fox was upset by everything that had been happening recently. Though he wasn't upset enough to try and get Naruto angry yet, he was getting close. And he was angry enough for Naruto to have some very vivid nightmares if he didn't calm him down before he went to sleep. So playing for awhile did seem to be a good idea.

Naruto went into his bedroom and came back out in a few seconds with his guitar. He sat down and cradled it on his lap as everyone made themselves comfortable. He strummed the opening notes and began to sing the song he'd created that day in the cave.

Verse one

They say the greatest hero is someone you never know until they're gone.

No matter that you've known their name for years

Their sacrifice you'll never see until they're gone

and it's too late to say thank-you

And I guess that's true

cause I never knew you at all

and yet your sacrifice is something I see

all too clearly

cause your sacrifice was me His thoughts drifted away as he sang and he forgot about the guests that were sitting around him. The Fox purred inside his head. Even though the song was about that human who'd trapped him here, it was also about his kit and the village that was blind. He liked the peaceful flow of the music so he relaxed and let it carry him off to more pleasant memories.

chorus

You sacrificed me

and it made you a hero

to all of them

cause in doing that

you gave your life A small break where he just strummed the guitar let him remember the second verse and what he'd been thinking and feeling when he'd put the words together.

verse two

You are my greatest hero, someone I never knew thanks to the path you chose

But your name is one I've always known

and your sacrifice is my burden to carry

until I too shall pass away

I'm not a hero

cause I never had the choice

to make this sacrifice everyone can see

including me

But what did you leave for me.

Chorus

You sacrificed me

and it made you a hero

to all of them

cause in doing that

you gave your life The final verse was coming up and he found that he really didn't need to think about what he'd sang before. He always had those words running around in his head in one form or another.

verse three

The path that you chose left me alone without a hope and only lonely tears

to try and live my life as you would wish

carrying this burden you handed to me

until I can finally find peace.

I'll never be the hero

but I can't say that I mind.

One sacrifice in a lifetime is enough to bear

Too bad they can't see

The prize you left for me.

Chorus

You sacrificed me

and it made you a hero

to all of them

cause in doing that

you gave your life.

And mine too. . .

Mine too. . .

He let the music dwindle away and slowly came back to himself surprised to find his guests sitting in stunned silence. Hinata looked at him with a wide smile and said softly, "Thank-you Naruto-kun. That was just as beautiful as I remembered."

The guys looked at him as if they'd never seen him before. Kakashi was wondering if there was anything he really knew about his student while Iruka was merely surprised that he'd actually gone ahead and sang the song and done so without using the scroll. Obviously he'd sang those same words more than once to have been able to play it all the way through without making a mistake. Sasuke was just stunned in general. It was Sasuke who spoke first.

"So what is the name of that song Naruto? And don't tell me you don't know. No one creates a song they don't have a name for."

"I honestly haven't thought about it. I just play it because it makes both me and the Fox feel better."

"Well, I think you should sing this one for the contest. It would fit all the requirements and please the audience," said Iruka.

Naruto shook his head. "This song would get me lynched and thanks but I'd like to keep my head. Kyuubi can't fix it if they take my head off."

"Why do you think it'd get you in trouble?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto looked at him in silence and disbelief. "Weren't you listening to the words Sensei?"

"It draws a link between him and the Fourth," said Sasuke. "More of a link than just the Fourth using him to contain the beast."

"It does indeed but you're wrong Naruto. You are a hero already. You may not have made the choice to be the vessel when the Kyuubi was sealed in you but you make that choice every day that you keep the seal intact," added Hinata. "So I think the name should reflect that."

"Eh." he shrugged again and changed the subject.

No one in the apartment was aware of two people slipping quietly away where they had just been preparing to knock on the door. Tsunade had stopped Watarimono before her hand could fall on the door when the music had started and although the sound was faint it was still clear enough to understand through the thin walls and door. Together they had listened as the deep mellow voice sang the words full of heart and meaning. When the song had ended they had shamelessly listened to the conversation and weren't surprised to find they'd been listening to Naruto. Now they slipped away from the building as quietly as they could. Once they were clear, Tsunade said, "You know I think to understand him all you really have to do is listen to him sing. That was amazing."

"Yes he has a good voice and a way with words. That song came straight from his heart. There wasn't any falseness in it. He really believes every word of it. Now the question is how can we get him to sing it for the village music contest."

"We can't. He was right about that song being his death if they hear it."

"What?"

"The village doesn't want to believe there is any kind of connection between Naruto and their hero so they would see that song as sacrilege and his life would be forfeit for performing it for them. Besides it implies that the Yondaime took the easy way out by dying while Naruto has the harder job of living."

"Oh." Watarimono paused. "Well, that's just stupid. Of course there's a connection. The Fourth did the sealing for Kami's Sake."

The two women separated and each walked to her own residence still thinking about Naruto's song. Neither knew they were thinking the same thing but both were hoping for another opportunity to hear it again.

**Author Note: Ok just a quick note to let you know for this chapter I had to do a little research. I looked up Japanese mythology to find a female character from their myths that would resemble the way I have Sakura behaving. They have a tale of a character named Izanami who takes control of the Underworld and creates Wild Shikome to chase Izanagi when he tries to escape the underworld and her. You can read about them on the Wikipedia Japanese mythology website. Enjoy**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author Notes: Ok this is a long chapter but I realized I was leaving out some relationships that I'd really wanted to build on when I first started this story. Guess that's what happens when the characters decide they are going to take over the story. You end up just typing the scenes that keep them the center of attention.**

**Rose: Bad dog Naruto toons. My story.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. Too bad. Cause Pinkie would be in alot of trouble if it was.**

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**Chapter Seventeen**

**The Consequences of Our Actions**

The next morning, the day before the festival, Sakura reported to Tsunade-sama's office. She didn't know why she'd been summoned but assumed it was either for testing, training or a mission with her team. Since she knew Naruto-Baka hadn't been given clearance to leave he village she hoped it was a mission for her and Sasuke-kun. She smiled as she thought about actually being able to get some alone time with her love. But when she entered the office only Tsunade-sama and Kakashi-sensei were there. Wait Kakashi-sensei. . . here before her? Nani?"

"Sakura I thought I told you to stay away from Naruto's apartment." Tsunade asked.

"You meant that? I thought you only said that because you were angry I woke you up. He's my teammate and no one else can make him do what he's supposed to so I have to go to his apartment. He'd never get anywhere if I didn't make sure he was where he should be."

"I meant it. I told you under no uncertain terms that you were to stay away and leave him alone. You were also told by Kakashi to leave him alone. Now since you decided to break the injunction you will have to suffer the consequences." She paused to make sure she had her full attention.

"But Tsunade-shishui. I have to go to his place. If I don't the Baka won't ever show up for practice or for missions. He'll never get stronger hiding in that dump and he's held our team back enough."

Kakashi interrupted her. "He is NOT the weak link in our group Sakura. You are. You are the one who never faces the enemy in combat. You are the one who always needs to be protected. If they should ever both be incapacitated you're dead."

"That won't happen with Sasuke-kun around Kakashi-sensei and how dare you imply that Baka is stronger than I am! I can punch through anything I want to. I have perfect chakra control and I am a good medic. Next to Sasuke-kun I am the most important person on our team. Of course Sasuke-kun protects me in battle. He knows that if he gets hurt I am the only one that can heal him." She stuck her chin in the air and looked down her nose at Kakashi.

"You have perfect chakra control but I wonder how perfect it would be if you had even a fifth the chakra Naruto has. His chakra is way stronger than yours and he can outlast Sasuke when it comes to pure chakra based moves. Plus his stamina is out of this world. He doesn't need you for anything since you have nothing to offer him. Kyuubi heals him faster than you can and if it weren't for the fact that Kyuubi's chakra is poisonous to both me and Sasuke you would have been off the team a longtime ago." He finished speaking in disgust. It was clear he had lost any bit of respect he ever might have had for her.

Tsunade said, "Kakashi you won't have to deal with her for at least the next month. Sakura seems to have gotten to high of an opinion of herself so I am going to work her alone for awhile and knock it out of her. I did not agree to train her so that she could get a swollen head and I am tired of the way she has been lording herself over everyone else. Not only has she treated her teammate worse than we treat our enemies, but I have received more than one complaint from the staff at the hospital. I let her get out of hand but now I will fix that situation."

"Sakura, today you will be cleaning the restrooms at the hospital using a cloth, scrub brush and bucket. No chakra allowed and they'd better sparkle when you're finished. Get going. Someone is waiting for you. And Sakura, . . . if I find out you disobeyed me I will have you tied up and you will do the job with a toothbrush between your teeth. And don't bother crying or trying to get someone else to do it for you. The staff has been told not to help you in any way."

Kakashi could hardly hold back the grin that threatened to crack his face but as an ex-anbu he knew it was inappropriate for him to show emotion at the disciplinary actions taken against another ninja. However he'd long thought she was out of control and was glad to see that finally the Hokage was going to do something about it. That he could have also done something at any time since she had become his student he didn't think about.

Sakura just stood there completely dumbfounded. Scrubbing toilets? Her? For what? She was top of her class! One of the best medics in town. Second-in-Command at the hospital. What the hell was happening here? She didn't understand.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get moving. No one's going to roll out a red carpet for you," Tsunade barely even looked at her as she waved her out of the office. "Oh and Sakura. You won't be getting paid for this since you still owe Naruto for the damage to his property."

"Nani?" Sakura whispered.

"It costs a lot of money to repair building walls and replace broken furniture. I'm still looking for copies of the books we were able to identify that were trashed. Not to mention replacing his clothes. Because you made it possible, the villagers destroyed everything he had in there and so you will cover the cost of replacing it all. Every single thing."

"Hai." Sakura left the office slowly and went to the hospital where a very angry Shizune waited for her with a bucket of cleaners in one hand and a scrub brush and cloth in the other. She led her to the basement and said, "Start on the bathrooms on this level and work your way up. When you finish each level I will check them. Don't cheat and use any chakra. I've been told to check for it. And what to do if I find it. I can tie Naruto up well enough to keep him bound so don't think you'll escape using that strength Tsunade-sama taught you. You won't." She turned and left Sakura standing in the hallway.

It was only as she entered the bathroom that she realized they hadn't given her any gloves. She left to go find some. No way was she cleaning toilets without gloves. She didn't even do that at home where it was just her and her Mom using the toilet. She took the elevator back upstairs and went to the utility closet.

"What are you doing Sakura?" asked Shizune. "I already gave you your supplies. Now get back down there and get to work."

"I need gloves. I can't clean toilets without them."

"No. They aren't allowed. Now go get those toilets clean. You have an hour to finish the bathrooms on that level."

Sakura turned and went back to the basement. She tried to ignore the looks she was getting from people who'd overheard Shizune but it was hard and tears were running from her eyes by the time she finally made it back into the bathroom where she'd left the supplies she'd been allowed. This was torture. She got to work and cried every time she had to put her hands inside a dirty toilet bowl.

Back in the office Tsunade looked at Kakashi and said, "Suitable punishment I think given that she is hyper sensitive against germs and won't be given gloves."

Kakashi cringed and said, "For what she has put Naruto through and thereby Sasuke I'd have to agree. She has done more damage to Team Seven with her attitude than the guys can overcome. If this works and humbles her it will be worth the effort. She does have a place on the team but it's just not as big as she thinks it is."He smiled at her with his eye and said, "Though that contract you made him sign is helping bring the three of us closer than ever."

Tsunade nodded and growled. "Did Sasuke find Naruto's journal yet?"

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a minute and then shook his head. "I saw him with a knapsack earlier but it only held the ramen from that cave so I don't think so."

"Damn. That means he has a way around that provision also."

"Which one? The one to stay away from Ichiraku's and not being able to buy any ramen for the next two weeks? Oh he had a way around that before he ever signed his name on that scroll."

"Nani?"

"That contract says he can't buy his ramen and that he can't eat at Ichiraku's? It doesn't say someone else can't buy it for him from Ichiraku's or anywhere else. Nor does it say that someone can't make it for him." He smirked. "I know. I read it too."

"Crap. Dammit. Shit. I really wanted him to eat healthy for the next two weeks." She continued to cuss for the next couple of minutes. "He really does need a healthier diet Kakashi. I do his med scans and he's not as healthy as he should be given the amount of energy he expends during the day. I know he looks healthy but he isn't. That clause wasn't put in there to break him. See if you can at least limit how much his friends get for him. Please," she begged.

"So that was your brainchild was it? And Jiraiya wanted his journal. So I assume having to perform in the music show was Watari's idea then?"

Tsunade nodded and said, "But the counseling sessions were both our idea. Well, all three of us really."

" I'll help you with the ramen end of it but I have to ask. Was it worth it? You haven't gotten what you wanted from forcing him to sign it and he hasn't once come to see you since you let him out of the hospital. Was it really worth it Tsunade-sama?" She didn't answer and he poofed out of her office to go find his students. Once he'd gone she whispered, "No. It wasn't. I miss him."

He found Sasuke and Naruto together with Hinata who had told Kurenai about the plan to help Naruto and had gotten permission to be absent from her team training sessions while Naruto had to fulfill the contract. They had headed for the park again and were sitting together talking about nothing in particular when Kakashi walked up to them.

"Hey guys," he greeted them and sat down. "Naruto, Sakura should be too tired to mess with you for the next several days. She will be cleaning toilets at the hospital though. So if you do see her, I suggest you turn and go the other way. Knowing her temper she will twist this into being your fault somehow."

Naruto nodded but said nothing about it. Sasuke smirk at the idea of how much that would drain her chakra reserves. "Well, anything that drains your chakra also builds it up."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Oh no. She can't wear gloves or use chakra to get them clean or keep them that way."

All three of the young people gasped and then burst out laughing as each of them got a clear mental image of their germ-obsessed, pink-haired companion scrubbing toilets the old-fashioned way. They were laughing so hard they never noticed the crowd of villagers gathering around them. The first thrown rock was a surprise and of course it hit Hinata.

The ninja leapt to their feet, falling into a fighting stance as more projectiles fell round them. They spread out and Sasuke, Kakashi and Hinata covered Naruto's retreat from the park. They knew without asking that there was no way he would fight the common people. And so the four of them beat a hasty retreat from the park even though Kakashi, Sasuke and Hinata were perfectly willing to beat them to a pulp for him. They went to the team seven training grounds instead. The training grounds didn't count as a public place as far as Watarimono was concerned. But until the mob lost interest it was the safest public place Naruto knew of and he led them there as quickly as he could while dodging angry villagers intent on punishing him for the death of their hero.

When they were safe, he said, "Yeah the village sure is a safe place for me nowadays." He plopped down on the ground and put his head in his hands. Then he jumped up and ran over to the trees and proceeded to beat the crap out of them. Kakashi watched, with Hinata and Sasuke, as he worked through his anger. None of them said anything. There wasn't anything to say.

Watarimono showed up while he was still beating up the tree and asked, "Kashi, what's that all about?"

Kakashi replied, "He's just training. Sasuke, go work out with him. Hinata, can you be ready to heal Sasuke since Sakura is otherwise occupied for the next few days?"

"Hai," they both said and walked closer to where Naruto was. Sasuke ran over to challenge Naruto to a spar while Hinata just knelt down at the edge of the fight area. The two young men went at it tooth and nail, both of them grinning and spurring each other on with calculated insults. They had a great time without Sakura to throw insults and threats out at Naruto or trying to intervene if he landed a hit on Sasuke and by the time they were both out of chakra they were exhausted and covered in sweat. Watarimono had never seen them go at it in battle but Kakashi said they weren't really hurting each other since Sasuke had only used the Chidori once and Naruto hadn't used the Rasengan at all in any of it's forms. He explained that if this had been a real fight there would have been a lot more damage and blood.

When the spar ended Kakashi walked out to them with Hinata, who performed first aid on them both and listened as Kakashi critiqued the fight. "Naruto, you held back when you were creating that earth shield and it wasn't strong enough to deflect the Chidori Sasuke used. Sasuke you need to start working with your affiliation for lightening and come up with some new moves. While it's true he messed up his defense against it today you can't count on a real enemy doing the same thing. Now both of you take a breather and then Naruto I think Watari is waiting for you. Sasuke, Hinata and I will wait over here until you are done. Make my homelife a littel easier please. Try to work with her a little. Ok?"

Naruto just sighed. "If she wants in my mind again the answer is no. I already have too many people in there."

Kakashi nodded. He and the rest of the group sat down to wait until Naruto was through as he walked over to where she waited for him at her normal bench.

"Hello Naruto. How was your day today?" she asked.

"Alright I guess. How was your day?" He bowed and caught the tendril of her mind trying to slip into his. He slammed his barriers down against it and narrowed his eyes. "I told you no. If you want to talk to me then use your voice."

"And I told you I need to talk to the Kyuubi to see if you've been keeping your side of the agreement."

"I'll see if the Fox wants to talk to you then but you know you could just ask me." He went silent and again she tried to probe his mind but his shields were firmly in place. He opened his eyes and she was startled to see they were no longer the crystal clear blue of a mountain top lake. They were an angry red and shooting fire at her.

"**The kit said you wanted to talk to me, human. What's your problem?**" Naruto said in a voice much deeper than his normal voice. It sounded like he was speaking around a mouth full of pebbles. Kyuubi was still angry about the incident at the park and this woman trying to force Kit into let her run amuck in his mind wasn't helping his temper. He had caught her last attempt to force Kit to let her do as she pleased.

"I merely wanted to make sure he is keeping to the terms of our agreement."

"**And so you needed to ask me about this because?"**

"Because I have no way of knowing if he is telling me the truth. Humans and especially this one are good liars."

"**True. Humans do lie very well but my vessel gave you his word. He does not lie about that. Ever. He gave his word to keep that contract and so he will. Do not call me again. I will not come. And stay out of his mind. If I catch you in here you will die. I am not as forgiving as my vessel."** Naruto closed his eyes again and when he opened them he just looked at her with disgust.

"What is that look for?"

"You need to learn some honor before you go insinuating that others have none and calling them names."

"What does honor have to do with this? You have to admit you are a liar. You have been lying to the people of this village and your friends for years."

"I didn't lie to my friends. And as for everyone else, they saw who they wanted to see. It's not my fault they're stupid gullible fools. Who they saw made them accepting and comfortable around me and allowed me to relax. But as for honor if you don't know what it is or what it has to do with this then I'm done with you." He turned and walked back to where his friends waited.

"What about Tsu?" She called out to him. "You lied to her. Isn't she your friend?"

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "She sucked you onto me and blackmailed me into doing what she wants me to do. Friends do not blackmail each other. Friends do not try and make us change who we are to suit themselves. Friends do not endanger each other to get their own way. No. She isn't my friend. There was a time when she was much more important than any friend could ever be but she chose to throw that away when she decided I wasn't good enough as I was for her. Now she is just my boss and the person who signs my paychecks. And the person who may end up costing me the few friends I really can count on if this continues." He continued on his way, never noticing Tsunade stood on the edge of the stream and had heard every word of his response. He never knew how deep his words cut as he and his friends left to go find somewhere else to be for the evening.

Watarimono saw Tsunade collapse and rushed over to her. "He didn't mean it Tsu. You're still the most important woman in town to him." Tsunade shook her head.

"No I'm not. He spoke the pure truth. Maybe I used to be but not anymore. Hinata is."

"Hinata? Why would she be more important than you are?"

"Because even when he was lying to everyone, she accepted him. She knew he was lying because she took the time and went to the trouble to find out the truth but she never called him on it. She accepted that he had his reasons and let it go knowing he'd tell her when he was ready. But I don't have her patience or her gentle nature so I rushed in and tried to force him. And now I've lost him. He'll never trust me again." She stood up and left Watarimono standing by the swiftly flowing creek.

Watarimono headed for her home where her daughters would be waiting for her to fix their dinner. On the way she tried to figure out just how honor played any kind of role in the work she was trying to do with Naruto. It was puzzling as she really didn't know how important honor was to the ninjas. She knew they lived by a code but she didn't know what that code entailed and Kashi wouldn't tell her. He said he couldn't explain it because she wasn't a ninja and therefore wouldn't understand even if he tried. Maybe she should ask one of the academy instructors to teach her the way they taught their students? Not the actual physical stuff but the stuff behind the moves. Maybe that Iruka guy would teach her.

She walked in her front door to find her daughters already eating. Shizune was standing in the kitchen and it was clear she had made them dinner because she wanted to talk to her. Watarimono greeted her children and motioned for Shizune to follow her to her office where she closed the door.

"How can I help you, Shi?" she asked once they were comfortable.

"You can lay off Naruto. Let him out of this contract you forced on him."

"But I thought you wanted to show him he could be himself without any one trying to hurt him for it?"

"No that's what you and Tsunade-sama wanted. And you're both wrong. He was chased out of a rarely used park today. A mob formed in the market yesterday because he was there to get groceries and new clothes. You don't seem to understand what you're doing to him and if he ends up in the hospital again because of this I will personally take it out on you. Tsunade-sama knows what she forced on him is wrong now and she'd end it but I know you well enough to know even if she told you to stop you won't without a good reason."

"Well, I still think that if he just let's the village get to know him as he really is that they'll accept him. Being chased out of a park is a small price to pay for the lie he's been telling. When we make a decision to be dishonest the consequence is often not nice. He'll just have to deal with it."

"I thought better of you. But I can see now, you're just like them. Only you don't want to hurt him for someone you lost thanks to who he jails. You just want to hurt him because you can. That's sad. And even if he has been lying his whole life to them it isn't worth his life. But that's exactly what the price might be." Shizune stood and left the room.

Watarimono tried to call her back but Shizune pretended she couldn't hear her as she said good-bye to the twins and left the small house. Watarimono heard the door close as Rakki and Jiyuu came to stand in the office doorway. Neither girl said a word but both looked at her with a look that asked if she really knew what she was doing. She found herself wondering as they turned and headed for their bedroom. Did she know what she was doing? Was she just trying to hurt her patient because she could?

Several hours passed and she was still sitting where Shizune had left her in the dark, thinking. Kashi came in and found her. Without a word he turned on a lamp and took the other chair across from her. He took off his mask and folded it before putting it in a pouch. Then he just stared at her and waited. He knew she'd talk when she was ready.

"Tsu thinks Naruto doesn't trust her any more. That's she's not one of his important people any more. Shi thinks I'm just trying to hurt him because I can. The way she said it makes me think she believes I'm lower than the villagers because at least they have a reason for trying to hurt him. And Naruto thinks I have no honor. What is going on, Kashi? I've never been treated this way before."

"Naruto is hurt by the trickery you and Tsunade-sama used to get him to sign that contract. If it had been just you, he would have understood but Tsunade-sama had a hand in it and that hurt. She is right. He doesn't trust her any more."

"As for her assistant, are you sure she isn't right? Think carefully about how you've been acting. Trying to force him to let you in his mind. Demanding it just because you want to treat him like a little boy. He's not you know. He happens to be a full-grown powerhouse that could destroy any of us any time he wishes. And you seem to be bent on treating him like a doormat."

"As for Naruto thinking you have no honor. He knows honor like every ninja does and no ninja worth the name would treat a friend and ally like you've been treating him. By his standards you don't have any honor. Honor is shown through our words but more importantly through our actions. I'd research it if I were you."

He stood up and left her to think about what he said, knowing she'd be thinking about it for several more hours. He went in and said good-night to his daughters. They asked if their Mom was going to be alright and he assured them she would be as soon as she realized the difference between a civilian town and a ninja one. They accepted that as they were already beginning to assimilate the differences themselves. He tucked the blankets under their chins, gave each a kiss on the forehead and shut out the light as he left the room.

Then he took a light blanket from the end of the bed in his and Watari's room and took it back to the office. He spread it over her lap and she gave him a small smile as he kissed her cheek. He went to bed alone.

When Shizune got home she saw Tsunade-sama's cloak already on the peg and uttered a soft curse. She hung her own up and noticed Jiraiya-san's was there also. She crept down the hall towards her own room trying not to be noticed.

She heard crying coming from Tsunade-sama's room and noticed the door to Jiraiya-san's was open. She debated going into Tsunade-sama's room and was just about to open the door when she heard a shushing sound from inside. A few seconds of listening told her Jiraiya-san was already giving her comfort so she crept back to her own room.

Maybe a good cry was all her boss and friend really needed, she reflected as she got ready for bed. At least she could cry now. It wasn't all that long ago when the sight or sound of Tsunade-sama crying would have seriously freaked her out, ninja trained or not. Naruto had done a lot of good for Tsunade-sama and for herself too. Jiraiya-san had picked up where he'd left off and was building a much closer relationship between them than the teammates they'd always been. She wondered idly as her eyes closed, if Tsunade-sama even realized what he was doing. Probably not. She could be as clueless as Naruto when it came to love. She drifted into sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author Notes: This is a shorter chapter than normal but I hope you'll be pleased anyway. Don't forget to send your reviews. Can't improve if I don't know what's missing. Besides I don't really want to go clean my house. It's too messy.**

**Disclaimer: Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, Tsunade, Sasuke, Iruka and the rest of the crew aren't mine but I wish they were.**

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**Chapter Eighteen**

**A One of a Kind Birthday Gift**

Festival day arrived and Sakura was cleaning toilets. She had been told that the Festival was off limits for her until the bill for Naruto's home repairs was fully paid off. Since some of the books that had been destroyed were limited editions or very old and therefore rare that wasn't going to happen by the time the Festival was over. Tsunade-sama was still looking for replacements for the books.

But in Naruto's apartment no one was even thinking about her. The rookies were surprised when they learned Naruto was in town. They found out when both Sasuke and Hinata refused the company of their other friends to rush off to Naruto's place. They converged on his apartment building and as a group, minus Sakura, they hid out inside the small place. Sasuke checked to make sure Naruto had decent clothes for the show that night and both boys began to pace nervously even though the show was not until after sunset. Both had to do something they didn't want to do. Tenten went into his kitchen and was helping Choji and Ino make food for all of them, while Neji and Shikamaru played Shogi on the board Shikamaru had brought with him. Of course Shikamaru never left home without both a Shogi and a Go game. Lee was doing push-ups in the living room and declaring that if he could not do one thousand of them than he would do five hundred step runs up and down Naruto's apartment stairs. Kiba was playing with Akamaru while Shino sat watching Naruto and Sasuke pace and listened as Hinata tried to reassure them that they'd be fine.

There was a knock on the door and everyone froze except Lee who, thinking it might be Sakura, jumped up and ran over to open it. He yelled, "HI COME IN MY YOUTHFUL CHE. . ." His words were cut off as an angry mob swirled through the open door and trampled him under foot trying to do as much damage as they possibly could and be the one to actually kill the murderer of their precious hero. The rookies fell into position and vigorously defended themselves against the villagers. Punches flew and so did feet. The mob carried broken bottles and clubs, knives and some wore brass knuckles. Though the rookies had weapons there was an unwritten rule that they did not use them against Leaf citizens. So they fought with empty hands and didn't use their chakra. This made the fight a slightly uneven one due to the constricted fighting area but the rookies held their own. Soon blood was flying though it wasn't all from the villagers. None of them got past the rookies to reach Naruto but the damage was done as someone decided to try and set fire to his apartment. If they couldn't get to him themselves maybe the fire would.

Bottles filled with a flammable liquid and stoppered with soaked rags were tossed at his couch and curtains hard enough to break the bottles and the curtains went up in flames. Those flames were soon joined by his new couch and as the living room was engulfed in flames, everyone dove for safety. Naruto, still in his bedroom, grabbed his outfit for the contest from the bed where he'd laid it for Sasuke's approval and his guitar on the way out his bedroom window. He stood in the alley watching as the emergency Anbu squads arrived to put out the fire. His friends dove out other windows and he watched as all the recent repairs were undone. He was soon joined by Sasuke and Hinata. Together they watched other Anbu arrive and several villagers got arrested or taken to the hospital but as far as Naruto was concerned it was already too late.

He turned and walked away with Hinata and Sasuke to guard him. They went to the Uchiha District and slipped unnoticed into Sasuke's house. Went they got there Sasuke went off to get a shower and change his clothes while Naruto just sat staring at a wall. Hinata excused herself to go home and clean up also but swore she'd be back as quick as she could. Sasuke came out redressed in clean clothes and tossed a towel to Naruto who didn't move. He tried talking to him but Naruto either didn't hear him or simply didn't want to respond. He tried to distract him but nothing he tried worked. Naruto had retreated from the real world. This was just the final straw and he needed something he wouldn't find in the real world so he'd gone internal. Sasuke sighed knowing there was nothing he could do but wait and hope he'd be back in time to keep his contract.

In his head Naruto had done what he always did when the village attacked. He'd retreated to Kyuubi. Kyuubi wrapped him in his tails and hid him next to the wall shielding him with his own body. Even if the stupid mind-walkers tried to find the boy they wouldn't see him where the fox was hiding him and Kyuubi would keep him safe until Kit was ready to go back out there. It may have seemed immature but there was only so much anyone could take before they had to shut down and Naruto was at his limit. He had retreated in to sleep curled up next to Kyuubi and this close to the big Fox he wouldn't have any nightmares. He wasn't aware that it was more because only his mind was sleeping than it was proximity to Kyuubi. He'd never done this when others were around to tell him he wasn't actually sleeping before.

Hinata came back and Sasuke left her with Naruto while he went to find Iruka. If anyone knew what to do it'd be him. Sasuke just hoped he'd be able to find him. He ran across Ino who was looking for them.

"Sasuke. Is he alright?" she asked.

"Hn"

"Damn Sasuke. I need to know. Talk to me. Is he alright?"

"Depends on who's asking, Ino. If you want to know for that woman you hang around with now, tell her yeah he's just peachy with getting his home trashed twice within a month. He's great watching his friends get beat to a pulp for the crime of being in his home. How do you think he is?" He left her standing there staring after him with tears running down her face. He was right and she knew it. It was a stupid question. There was no way Naruto was ok right now. She hung her head and wandered off heading for home and the privacy of her own bedroom.

Sasuke ran into Shikamaru with Choji who were looking for Ino. He pointed to where he'd last seen her and left them chasing after her. Then he ran into Neji who was looking for Hinata to make sure the heiress had gotten out of the fire ok. He told her she had and was safe at his place watching over Naruto and left Neji staring after him. Then he ran into Tenten and Lee who were both looking for Neji though Lee was looking for Naruto also. Both his eyes were swollen as were his lips and it looked as if his nose might be broken, given the strip of tape over it and the traces of blood under it. But other than that Lee was alright and way more concerned about his friends than he was himself, for all that Tenten was practically carrying him.

Sasuke showed them where he'd run across Neji but said nothing about Naruto. He sped off with Lee's shout echoing in his ears. "BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUTHFUL NARUTO? I MUST GIVE MY MOST SINCERE APOLOGIES TO MY MOST YOUTHFUL OF RIVALS FOR THE DAMAGE I HAVE CAUSED! THE POWER OF YOUTH DEMANDS THAT I MAKE AMENDS FOR MY TRAGIC MISTAKE IN THE DESTRUCTION OF HIS HOME."

Sasuke escaped and finally found Iruka just leaving a bookstore. He didn't say a word as he grabbed his arm and started dragging the poor teacher off to the Uchiha estate. "Sasuke! What is happening? Where are you taking me?" Iruka asked him panting with the effort of trying to keep up.

"Naruto," was the only answer he got and the only one he needed. He stepped up his pace no longer trying to pull away and together they raced back to where Naruto was waiting. They didn't even see the other rookies as they passed them by in a blur. One by one the rookies fell into step behind them and Sasuke inadvertently led them all back to where Naruto was.

As soon as Iruka saw Naruto, he had Sasuke and Hinata distract their friends to keep anyone from seeing him this beat down. When the room was empty he knelt down and wrapped his arms around his adopted little brother. Although he had never formally adopted him, ever since the Mizuki incident he'd seen Naruto as surrogate brother and the only family he had. He didn't need to know what had happened. He just needed to know Naruto needed him now. And so they sat there together. Iruka held onto Naruto and waited for some sign that the young man was ready to talk and trusted that he'd tell him what had happened then.

At the hospital, Tsunade was kept busying treating minor burns while supervising Sakura cleaning the bathrooms. The words she'd overheard from Naruto still repeated in her head making her short-tempered and unusually quiet. She could still hear the betrayal he felt in his words and it still made her want to break down and cry. No one would ever know she'd fallen asleep crying in Jiraiya's arms the night before.

Sakura finally had enough. She was tired and she wanted to get to the Festival. She had figured if she could get all the bathrooms done in time, Tsunade-shishui would release her and she could slip off to the Festival without her knowing about it. This was the last bathroom and it was by far the worst one of them all. Someone had even thrown toilet paper on the ceiling. How Gross! Without thinking she used her chakra to climb the walls and started scrubbing the ceiling using her chakra to stay affixed to the ceiling. Then she climbed down and using more chakra created a couple of clones to clean with her. They each had their own buckets and supplies so the job went quickly. Toilets were cleaned by her clones as she washed the mirrors over the sinks and when the toilets were done she set the clones to scrubbing the floor. Finally the bathroom sparkled and she dispersed the clones, gaining back a measure of her depleted chakra. She rested a few minutes to recharge before going to tell Tsunade-shishui the job was done. When she did she found her teacher coming out of a patient room and waited to be addressed before speaking. The last couple of days had taught her that it was better to let others address her before she spoke to them.

"What is it, Sakura?"

"I've finished, Shishui."

"Find Shizune and have her check your work. I'm too busy, since my Second-in-Command here decided to be a spoilt brat, to check the work of a menial laborer." She turned away and walked to the desk to give patient care instructions to the nurses stationed there. She paid no attention to the flash of anger in Sakura's eye or the grim set of her mouth as she left her behind.

Anbu dotted the hallway like flies but Tsunade didn't care. Behind every door an Anbu stood in front of, lay a patient who'd tried to hurt Naruto. She'd thought all this crap was in the past and that he was just being blind in not realizing he was too big to be hurt by peasants any more but now she knew better. Mobs made even the weakest men strong. She had treated Lee for his cuts and bruises and fixed his broken nose before he and Tenten had gone off looking for Naruto so that Lee could apologize for opening the door to the mob.

Shizune came around the corner just as Sakura was trying to slip out of the building unnoticed. "Ah, there you are Sakura. Has Tsunade-sama released you from bathroom duty already?" She sounded pleasant but she already knew what Sakura had done. However when she had told Tsunade that Sakura had used chakra to get the final bathroom clean Tsunade got a devilish glint in her eye and said, "She's trying to get to the Festival. But she won't make it. Cut her off and give her this job to do." She leaned over and whispered in Shizune's ear. When the two heads separated both faces wore the same grin. Tsunade's concern for Naruto's well-being was matched by Shizune's own.

Now she just said, "Good, good. Come with me please. Tsunade-sama has another job that needs done and, since you are forbidden to go to the Festival and done with the bathrooms here, you can do it so we won't need to pull in any off-duty nins. They can still enjoy their holiday." She led a very disgruntled Sakura to the local garbage dump. When they stood beside a steaming pile of garbage, she said, "A merchant lost a very important invoice in his trash. The manager of the dump said the trash from his area of the village was dumped here. Of course this isn't just his garbage but there was a mix-up here so there's alot more than there normally would be. Usually paper trash gets dumped in the incinerator pile but due to the mix-up it got dumped here instead. Lucky for the merchant though, since if it had been dumped where it was supposed to have been, the invoice would have been history already."

"I know it looks like a wet mess but I'm sure you can manage just fine. You'll have to check every piece of paper for what your looking for. Just set every invoice you find aside and I'll check it when I come by after dinner. You'll have to use your chakra to make the writing on the invoices show up and Sakura, those invoices better be dry and clean when I come back." Sakura looked at the pile and groaned. The pile made her look like an ant next to a tree branch laying next to a tree trunk. In a forest of sixty year old trees. The pile was huge and she was supposed to find one little piece of paper that was probably already decomposed to illegibility? How?

Shizune watched from the distance as Sakura sank down on her knees and bowed her head. She knew the girl was crying even though she was too far away to hear her but it was her own fault. She should have obeyed the rules. She'd been told no chakra on those bathroom but she used it anyway. She'd been told to stay away from Naruto's place but she'd gone after him anyway. Not once but twice. She'd been told to knock it off and keep her fists to herself but she didn't listen. One way or another the girl would learn her place. She stood keeping watch until Sakura stood up and began weeding through the morass. Of course there wasn't a missing invoice but Sakura didn't know that, she thought walking away. A small corner of her felt sorry for the girl and she wondered how long it would be before Sakura finally figured out her lesson well enough to remember it. Tsunade was devilishly clever when it came to figuring out messy things for misbehaving nins to do and Shizune found herself wondering just what else her boss would come up with if this didn't work. One thing was sure. Sakura wouldn't be running into either Naruto or Sasuke out here. No one came to the dump for any reason. The place stunk.

Kakashi was escorting his daughters and Watarimono around the Festival booths. Everyone was chattering about the fire at the Demon's place earlier that day. A lot of them were bemoaning the fact that he hadn't been alone when the mob got there and that his henchmen had driven them off by putting several of them in the hospital. There was talk of payback, since the Demon had escaped harm, and vengeance against those he'd used to defend him. Kakashi's expression turned grim and he could barely contain his killing intent but even his daughters would be scared if he let that loose and he didn't want to ruin their day.

Jiyuu took his hand and gave him an understanding look. She knew her father really cared about his students and this talk was upsetting him. She didn't know who the Demon was but from how angry it was making him, she knew the Demon was an important person to him.

Finally Kakashi had all he could take and led his family out of the Festival area. Once they were away he looked Watari right in the eye and calmly said, "Now do you understand? You made him walk around the village showing everyone what a fool they've been in thinking him stupid and weak for all these years and dredged everything back out into the open. These people haven't forgotten what's housed inside him or their loved ones that Beast took away from them forever. They can't forget. That fire at his home is your fault and if any harm has come to him because of it, you might as well as been the one to strike the blow yourself. Take the girls and go home. I'm going to go find my team." He gave each of the twins a kiss before turning away to melt into the press of people.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author Notes: The contest has arrived and I came up with a slightly different song for him to perform for it. Remember, if you don't like songs or poems in your stories you can skip over it but since I don't just copy the work of other artists and adapt it to fit my work, you might miss something if you do. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: No, sad to say but the Narutoverse is owned by a guy. Obviously since Sakura has pink hair and green eyes and they think that's cute. (shakes head) Can we all say eyesore? There is absolutely nothing she can ever wear that won't clash. Horribly**

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**Chapter Nineteen**

**The Gift Returned**

Kyuubi roused Kit an hour before the start of the contest so he'd have time to get ready but the last thing Naruto felt like doing was singing. He went and got his shower anyway and changed into the clean clothes he'd brought from his apartment. Most Sasuke's other guests had already left by the time he snapped out of his own head but since he wasn't even aware they were there he didn't know. Still in the living area was Kakashi and Iruka. They would go with Naruto to make sure he was safe. When he was ready they left the estate and made their way through the shadows to the hall where the contest was being held. The contest would be judged by the audience and three of the council members would tally the votes for each performance. Naruto wasn't nervous any more as Kakashi and Iruka left him back stage with the other performers. He wasn't caring enough to be nervous. His apartment was in ruins. . .Again. And since he hadn't been working for a couple of weeks he didn't have the money for the repairs. Maybe it wasn't too damaged by the fire to stay in while he repaired it slowly. He idly watched as different performers came and went back stage saying nothing to anyone. Finally he heard the stage hand say his name and motion him to stand near the curtains.

"As soon as this performance ends Sasuke will introduce you. Wait until he quits talking and then go on stage. Good luck." The young man had no idea who he was talking to since he was from out of town and busy running the behind the scenes He didn't concentrate on who he was talking to when. He had been giving the same instructions to each performer all night long. The group of performers on the stage finished their act and Sasuke walked out to introduce the next performer.

"Now next up," he said clearly into the mic, as the main lights dimmed and only one light lit up the stage. The light settled on a stool set before a duel mic. "My teammate, Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke walked back off the stage as the audience began their cat calls and jeers.

They were very surprised when Naruto walked onto the stage. Instead of bouncing onto the stage with an ear to ear grin he sedately walked over to the stool placed in front of the standing double microphone. His trademark orange jumpsuit had been replaced tonight with a soft electric blue shirt that perfectly matched his eyes and showed off their glorious blue color. He had teamed the form fitting shirt with tan colored breeches that hugged his muscled thighs and showed the length of his legs. His blue sandals had been replaced with brown boots. He looked nothing like they were used to. In fact he looked more like a young god than a mortal ninja.

All things considered the outfit showed just how much the local girls had overlooked by chasing after Sasuke so intently. Soft gasps came from many a throat as the spotlight showed what he had kept everyone from seeing before. Calmly he placed one muscled thigh over the seat of the stool and rested his guitar on his leg. His eyes twinkled as he looked out at the crowd and his teeth gleamed white in the bright light as he strummed a few notes before falling into a tune no one had heard before. The audience quieted down not understanding what was happening but sure they didn't want to miss a single note of this performance. Naruto's fingers strummed the frets of the guitar as if they were alive, caressing each one to bring forth a purity of tone with every note. Finally, he began to sing as he raised his eyes to the window that faced the Hokage monument. His gaze was locked onto where he knew the image of the fourth was on the mountain now shrouded in darkness. His rich baritone voice floated over the audience drifting into each persons ear as if he was singing only for them.

Verse one:

You gave it all...

You gave them everything you had...

All your light ...

All your joy...

in every smile...

But they wanted more...

always more

and so you gave ...you gave it all He strummed a few notes in silence and you could have heard a pin drop in the audience before he broke into the short chorus.

They relied on you for everything and you never told them no. . .

No matter what they asked, no matter what the price. . .

You were happy to be the one to pay. . .

But what about me. . .

What did you leave for me. . . Only those few who had spent the week hanging out with him weren't surprised as he sang. Hinata sat there with a very happy look of contentment on her face. Most the audience hadn't known the loud obnoxious boy actually had a nice baritone voice. Let alone that he could play the guitar. Nor had anyone ever heard this song before. Watarimono took in the rapt attention of the audience and smiled as her patient began the second verse of his song. Oh yes. This town was definitely seeing what they had never known they'd had in their grasp. And regardless of what Kashi thought she knew she owed it to Naruto himself to make him drop the mask for good.

Verse Two:

You gave it all . . .

Everything you had . . .

All your life. . .

Until the end. . .

And me too. . .

But still they want more...

Always more...

And so I will give... I'll give my all With tears running down his cheeks he strummed the verse break before once more his rich voice flowed over the audience. His voice showed no sign of the tears he spilled as he sang.

Chorus:

They relied on you for everything and you never told them no. . .

No matter what they asked, no matter what the price. . .

You were happy to be the one to pay. . .

But what about me. . .

What did you leave for me. . . A small break for him to breathe and he launched into the final verse of the tune. His voice rose in intensity but yet it still seemed to be the barest of whispers to the stunned audience. He looked out across the sea of faces without seeing any of them.

Verse Three:

It'll never be enough ...

I know that now...

But what else can I do...

You gave them me...

But they don't see...

They'll never see... you in me...Yondaime.

No they don't see. . .

They'll never see. . .

The you . . . in me His voice was very soft again and his audience strained to hear every word. Once more he sang through the chorus of his song

Chorus:

They relied on you for everything and you never told them no. . .

No matter what they asked, no matter what the price. . .

You weren't the only one to pay. . .

What about me. . .

What did you leave for me. . . Another song break led to the recap of the final verse. His eyes gleamed in the light from the spotlight and he seemed to speak to each individual person there. For each person he seemed to be directly looking at them and them only as he sang the recap.

No they don't see. . .

They'll never see. . .

The you . . . in me Dad. . . His voice drifted away into the shadow of a whisper on the final note of the guitar. No one could tell where the note ended and his voice began, so perfectly matched were they. Sasuke, standing in the shadows, wiped a tear from his cheek before preparing to go introduce the next act.

Naruto stood and walked off the stage in total silence. There was no applause from the stunned audience. No one even seemed to breathe as his footsteps echoed around the room. Only as he stepped behind the curtain did the applause break out. People stood at their seat and cheered. More than one person cried openly. Whistles rebounded and calls for an encore rebounded but Naruto didn't come back.

Sasuke introduced the next act and he really felt a little pity for the performer that would have to follow Naruto tonight. The audience was not going to be kind to them at all. Sasuke stood in his place near the curtains waiting for the current group of screeching singers to be done torturing his eardrums but he had to admit later that he hadn't even really heard them. His thoughts had been focused on Naruto. He'd known Naruto was in shape, but Dear Kami. No wonder he lost every fight they got into. He was no slouch in the strength department but Naruto made his muscles look like they'd come out of a cereal box. And if that's what he thought of him, he could only imagine what the girls in the audience were thinking. Somehow he thought his fanclub might be getting smaller over the next few days. Hmm. Well that was something good to come out of all this torment he thought. Once again he walked onto the stage to introduce another act. The last one thank Kami not that he thought the audience would hear this group anymore than they'd heard the last one.

The contest was drawing to a close now and no one had noticed Iruka as he'd left his position by the door. He had escorted Naruto as soon as his part was done. Naruto had done what Watarimono had forced him into doing but he'd be damned if he was going to stay there and be humiliated by those people. He was a total fool most of the time but that was by choice. Tonight he'd been himself and if even one person had made a joke at his expense the consequences wouldn't have been good. So he had left as soon as he could slip out unnoticed. Besides, this was the Festival to honor the sacrifice of the Fourth and even if he was the best performer there, which he didn't believe he was, he didn't believe he'd win anything. The judges were members of the Hate Naruto Fanclub and high standing members of the council.

In the hall where the music contest had taken place Sasuke stood on the stage to announce the judges decisions. They had debated for about fifteen minutes and he knew the debate had not been over the first place award. There had been no doubt as to who had won. If they tried to give it to anyone else, Sasuke had no doubt, there would have been a riot by the audience.

"Ok, we have our winners. Winners were chosen using several different factors. Originality, Overall Performance and Audience Appreciation. See? I told you your applause mattered." Sasuke smirked. "In third place is Tenten and Neji with their duet, Once upon a Twilight Shore. (**A N:**No it's not a real song as far as I know)

Neji escorted Tenten onto the stage to receive their award and the applause of the audience. Then he and Tenten moved to a spot to Sasuke's right as he announced the second place winner. "Second place goes to Ino with her Boy Toy Band for her rendition of Bad Girls (**A N: **Song by Donna Summer)

Ino pranced onto the stage followed by a small group of glowering boys who stopped just past the curtain. Ino accepted her reward and moved off to her spot on Sasuke's left and waited for the announcement of the winner.

"Finally," Sasuke said, "We can announce the winner of this years music contest and I have to admit I've never heard a better singer in my life. With his original song, "Yondaime". (**A N:** if you have a better name for this ditty let me know.) Tonight's winner is Uzumaki Naruto. Come on out here Naruto."

The spot light flowed over to the break in the curtains where Naruto should be appearing. But they stayed closed and the stage stayed empty. The audience waited, clapping enthusiastically, but when he didn't appear they began to stir and fidget. Sasuke smirked. He knew Naruto wasn't back there and wasn't going to appear on the stage, since his exit from the hall had been discussed before they left the Uchiha district to come here. Nonetheless he called Naruto out one more time. "Naruto get your ramen loving behind out here before this audience lynches me." Several titters from the audience answered his joke but the way they were acting he wasn't so sure they wouldn't.

"Ok judges, what do we do now? It appears Naruto has left the building." He sent a special smirk towards the judges table.

"What do you mean left the building?" shouted a voice recognizable as Tsunade from the back of the room. Tsunade and Jiraiya were sitting at the back of the room with Shizune and her guards. In front of them Kakashi, sat with his daughters and several of the rookie nine, as they were known.

"Well I've called his name three times and I don't know about you but I sure don't see him standing here next to me, Hokage-sama," Sasuke shot back at her.

"Well then, I'll take his award and hold onto it for him," Tsunade said standing up.

One of the judges held up her hand. "The rules were clear, Hokage-sama. Participants must stay in the building until the contest is over. The contest isn't over until all the awards are handed out. Therefore Naruto has forfeited his award since he is obviously not here any longer." Hotaru set back down in her seat at the judges table.

Another judge stood and said, "Actually the rules don't state that at all. They only say that the participants must stay in the building until the end of their performance. What they do once they are finished is up to them."

Hotaru stood up again. "Well, since he isn't here to receive it he must not care about it therefore I say we give it to the second place winners and move the third place winner to second. And choose a new third place winner." She set down again. No way was she going to recognize that Kyuubi brat in any way especially since she was sure he had cheated somehow. After all, she had heard him sing at several other events and he'd never sounded that good. Plus where did he get that song and how dare he sing it anyway. He was the last person who should sing such a personal song about the Yondaime.

The audience began muttering. They didn't like that idea at all. Even though they'd been hoping to get an encore out of Naruto they didn't agree with giving away his reward just cause he'd left the hall. Even the other two winners didn't seem happy with the idea of being moved up the chain.

Sasuke got angry. That old bitty was part of the reason Naruto put on his mask all the time. No one else knew him as well as Sasuke did except maybe Iruka. Before he could change his mind he said, "Hokage-sama would you please come get Naruto's award before they give it to someone undeserving? Our second and third place winners were great but this is the festival celebrating the grandeur of the Yondaime and his sacrifice and I don't think a song from another country is in any way shape or form justified to win it when we all heard that stunning song about the our own Yondaime."

People stood and cheered as Tsunade made her way to the stage. They kept clapping as Sasuke placed the plaque in her hands. "You want his trust back? Here's where you start earning it. Don't let them take it from him," he whispered uncaring that it sounded disrespectful. She winked, showing she took no offense, and took over the microphone as Sasuke stepped back.

"I know a lot of you are wondering about the song he sang. Wondering where it came from and how come you never heard it before. Some of you are wondering why you never knew he could sing like that and you're probably thinking it was a tape of someone else but I can assure you it wasn't. Tonight you have been blessed with a sight and sound few of you will ever see or hear again." She paused to let the silence emphasize her next words. "The real Naruto! He really has a fantastic voice doesn't he? Not to mention he's pretty easy on the eyes." She paused again as the female part of the audience drowned her out with their cheering as they yelled themselves hoarse. Laughing she continued, "The song is an original that he wrote a few years ago when he really found out just who the Yondaime was to him." Now she drew her expression into a serious frown and looked as many members of the audience in the eye as she could. "But the Naruto you saw tonight is gone now. He did what we asked him to do. We wanted him to show you who he really is and he has. But I can't in good conscious ask that Naruto to stay, no matter how much I'd like him to. Because as we saw by the happenings today this village really isn't as safe as I wanted to believe it was for him. That Naruto has always been there just waiting for his people to grow up and see him for who he really is but only you can decide if he's important enough for you to cast away your hate and your bias. These last couple of weeks I've had a friend here in town trying to convince Naruto he was safe to be himself. He kept telling me I was wrong. So did several other people. And right now I want. . .no I need to apologize to each and every one of you who told me that. You were right and I was wrong. This village isn't safe for an eighteen year old boy who isn't willing to cause harm to his fellow villagers even if it means he'll lose something even more precious. . . like his life. He can turn S class criminals into so much dog meat but he can't bring himself to harm a fellow villager and you call him the Demon." She turned the microphone back over to Sasuke and left the stage to walk back to her seat holding onto Naruto's award. Kakashi had his chest thrust out as far as he could and Jiraiya looked like a proud peacock with his tail feathers spread out. She almost laughed outloud at them both but she held onto her serious expression as Sasuke released both the audience and the contest winners to mix and mingle.

Tsunade listened to snatches of conversation but everyone seemed to be talking about the same thing. Naruto, she thought, you really got them stirred up. I wonder what you would think if you could hear what I hear. She listened as the winners mingled in the crowd and everyone wondered where Naruto had run off to and when had he learned to sing so well. A lot of the mingling conversation had to do with the song he'd chosen to sing. No one knew it and yet they couldn't believe Naruto could write something so beautiful and moving. It just didn't fit with the bright eyed, bright haired boy they all thought they knew. But she knew. She knew where the song had come from and why. The song was one he'd written when he'd first understood exactly who he was and exactly what kind of sacrifice his father had made for this village and what sacrifice he was expected to follow through on for them. He'd been so angry because he couldn't say a word about it but he thought it should have been clear a long time ago to all of them. But as always the villagers couldn't see the forest for the trees and so they didn't see him at all. Finally people began to wander away and she was free to go and try to find Naruto.

"Where do you think he is, Shizune? I want to give this to him before the night is over."

"You won't find him tonight, Tsunade-hime. said Jiraiya. "Take it back to your place and maybe word will reach him and he'll come and get it tomorrow. He's pretty angry with you right now and no one knows how long it takes for him to really forgive anyone for anything."

She sipped at several saucers of sake before deciding it was time to head home. Her anbu guards kept her safe from the wandering mobs of Festival goers and she did catch a brief glimpse of a very dirty Sakura being escorted to her home for the night by another Anbu.

Kakashi had escorted Watarimono and the twins home where he had sat at their bedsides answering question after question about Naruto. When the questions had started to repeat and get interrupted by yawns he had told them to go to sleep and left them to their slumber. Watari hadn't said a word as he got into their bed. She'd just curled up to him and went to sleep in his arms.

Sasuke had gone back to his house and found Naruto asleep on his couch. Iruka had left to go to his own home as soon as Sasuke had come in. Sasuke left him sleeping there and went to bed also.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author Note: And Finally this long tale draws to a close. I may do an epilogue if you see any loose ends needing to be tied off but overall I am pleased with how this tale turned out and hoped that you have all enjoyed it as much as I have. It's always fun to write a story where the characters take on a life of their own and you think you know what they're gonna do but then they go and do something else instead. Fun times.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto because if I did do you really think there would be a girl with _PINK _hair in the story. I mean come on. Pink hair is for old ladies not young girls. If I owned Naruto she'd at least know the benefits of a good henna wash.**

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**Chapter Twenty**

**After the Storm is Over**

Tsunade woke to a pounding on her door and growled a refusal to the person on the other side as she pulled the pillow over her head to block the stubborn sun that refused to go away. Jiraiya came in anyway and laughing, he pulled away her pillow and said, "Time to rise and shine Princess."

"Too early," mumbled Tsunade.

"Early? You got to be kidding me. It's three in the afternoon."

"Go way Jiraiya."

"Ok." He tossed her pillow back. "I guess you don't care if the council takes away your title. They plan on sending Naruto off into the Iwa village to look for some missing nin but hey that shouldn't bother you at all." He casually sauntered to the door but before he managed to take more than two steps Tsunade sat up in her bed and threw her pillow at his head.

"The HELL they will," she screamed.

Shizune came running into the room. "Hokage-sama, what is it? What's happened?"

Jiraiya was laughing and pointing at her. "Got you. It really is time you got up though. It's really only about eight in the morning."

He left the room at a run since Tsunade was chasing him. He knew just how wickedly strong she really was and just how much she disliked waking up no matter what time of the day it was. But this was strangely enough reminiscent of their genin days when he'd often been the one sent to bring her to the training grounds. He'd say something outrageous and she'd bolt awake, get mad and chase him around while getting dressed as she went. She was the only person he'd ever met who could do that. How do you go from wearing a nightgown to being fully dressed while running full tilt intent on catching and beating the crap out of someone? Someday when he actually had time to stop he was gonna ask her how she did it but for now running was a VERY good idea. But what really got his goat was he was so busy running he never even got a peek. He was the master pervert and he couldn't catch a glimpse of a woman who was changing her clothes as she chased him around a room. That was just way too sad and if it ever got out he'd be a laughing stock. But that was life and he wouldn't change Tsunade-hime for anything. Finally she wound down in the kitchen where Shizune had set out her morning tea with dango on a stick. Jiraiya sat across from her as Shizune brought him a cup and poured his tea. She placed a small plate of dango before him and then got her own. The three ate in companionable silence.

Tsunade closed her eyes savoring the taste of the dango. Jiraiya just stared. Damn the woman, he thought as she licked the sticky off her fingers, one by one. Jiraiya was mesmerized. A slight flush rose in his face as his eyes met hers. Her now clean finger was rocking back and forth in a "naughty, naughty" gesture. He just smiled and said, "Well, I'll see if I can find Naruto today and send him to your office. See you both later." He rose to his feet and left the house.

"How long are you going to keep that up? You know you have his full attention," Shizune asked once they were sure he'd moved off. She was washing their breakfast things at the sink and didn't even glance at her friend and employer.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shi. Keep what up?"

Shizune just continued to wash and dry the dishes as Tsunade eventually left the room to gather her things together for the office. Half an hour later and the two women were on their way to the hospital where both would make their rounds before heading to the tower to spend several fruitless hours with a never-ending mountain of paperwork that just never seemed to go away.

While Jiraiya went on a find Naruto mission, Watari was waking up and getting the twins settled for the day. There was no school since the teachers were likely to be hung over from the celebration yesterday so she would have to spend at least part of the day with them. But maybe she could take them with her when she went to check in with Tsu. Kashi would have to take care of them while she had her meetings with his team but they could be there at the field with him if he still felt the need to mother hen them both. She told the girls to get ready to go out and bring something to do because they wouldn't likely be back until the day's end. They raced off to their room to get dressed and she wondered where Naruto had slept last night. Kashi had made sure to walk them by the complex he lived at on their way home after the contest and even in the darkness she could tell the place wasn't habitable right now.

Meanwhile Naruto and Sasuke were on the Uchiha training ground working out and sparring. They'd woken at their normal time and fallen into their workout clothes with relief. Later Sasuke would go shopping with Naruto's ryu for new clothes for him. He knew his taste well enough that he and Iruka should be able to get him some new stuff without too much trouble but Naruto had come to a decision and for the first time in his life he was breaking his word.

"Sasuke, when you go shopping today, get me something loud and obnoxious that is too big so it'll be baggy. It's time to let the fool come back. These people aren't ready and we both know they never will be. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life afraid to go to sleep or eat anything I didn't prepare myself."

"It's only a few more days, Naruto. You can last that long."

"It isn't though. The longer the real Naruto is on public display the longer he'll stick in peoples minds and the longer I remain a threat to them. If I let the fool come back they'll think the show last night was a culmination of the week's acting and the real Naruto will slip away unnoticed. Those that do remember him will think they got another prank pulled on them but they won't admit to anyone they fell for the act and I'll be safe from outright attacks. So will you and everyone else who knows the real me."

"And that's what it's really all about isn't it," asked Kakashi from his position at the edge of the field.

"How am I supposed to be able to just stand by and watch these idiots hurt Iruka or Hinata or Sasuke. They want to beat on me that's fine. I can take it. They've been doing it all my life and I've got the Fox to fix the damage. But Hinata has enough to deal with in her father. She doesn't need the villagers crap too. And Iruka is the teacher to their kids How miserable could they make his life once they figure out he's known all along? No, to be fair I have to go back to the fool. To keep my precious people safe."

"I thought that's how you'd see things. You know you won the contest last night in spite of who the judges were. Tsunade-sama has your reward."

"Yeah like it'd do me any good to take it from her. Stupid villagers would just break in and snatch it back. She can keep it. Then the next time she decides to do something this stupid I can point to it and maybe she'll rethink it."

"Well, I think you should go see her today. I think you might be surprised by what she has to say."

"Sensei, if you were me is there really anything she could say that would make it alright again? Is there anything she could say that would make the events of the last week not have happened?" Naruto stood still in the center of the practice field staring at his teacher. He really hoped Kakashi would say yes but he couldn't imagine anything she could say making any big difference.

Kakashi closed his one visible eye, knowing he was about to tell the biggest lie of his life but also knowing it was the right thing to do. Then he looked Naruto straight in the face and said, "Yes. She could say she was sorry and mean it." For him, he knew that it wouldn't have been enough but he wasn't Naruto and maybe for him it would be. All he really knew was that Tsunade-sama missed Naruto almost as much as the blond missed her and the situation had to be fixed between them.

Naruto nodded saying nothing and walked back to the house. He showered and changed into the clothes he'd worn last night and then left the estate alone for the walk to the Hokage's office. He wondered if she would apologize. And he wondered if it would really be enough. He just didn't know. He took the back roads and encountered no one but that didn't mean his presence went unnoticed.

Several villagers saw him passing by on the rooftops of their neighbors home. They called their friends who called their friends who called still more people and before long the whole village was gathered together on the open ground before the Hokage's tower. Tsunade and Shizune walked out of the hospital to see the mass of people and wondered just what was going on. They pushed their way through the crowd to find the stage manager of the show the previous night rigging a small stage and his sound equipment.

"What are you doing?" Tsunade asked.

"They want to hear the award winning song from last night," he said gesturing to the crowd. "Not everyone heard it, but those who did were talking about it, saying how it was the best piece they'd ever heard and how wonderful Naruto's voice is so now they all want to hear it."

"So you set up an impromptu performance without permission? Do you even know if Naruto is willing to sing for them again?"

One of the council members stepped up and said, "He'll sing or we'll know he cheated and take back that award. Everyone knows Demons can't really sing so I already know he cheated. Since this is an impromptu performance he won't have time to get his accomplice to back him up and no curtains for a backdrop means nowhere for anyone who's really doing the singing to hide. We'll know who really won that award if he tries to sing that beautiful melody."

Tsunade had known the council members were vicious where Naruto was concerned so their pettiness over this shouldn't have surprised her but it did. She watched as the council member walked off with his head in the air. Next to her the stagehand said, "I know it was really him singing last night. And the young man has a beautiful voice. If he ever gets fed up with this place and the life of a ninja you send him my way and I'll see to it he has a new career." He handed Tsunade a small piece of parchment with a name, location and number on it. Then he went back to work setting up his equipment.

Ten minutes later Naruto came out of her tower where he'd been waiting for her. She saw at once the flaw in the councils brilliant plan. Naruto didn't have his guitar. He couldn't repeat last night's performance without it but then she saw Sasuke show up with Kakashi and Iruka and knew someone had gotten wind of the debacle and came to head it off. She watched as the council members cornered Naruto as Kakashi and his group came up behind them. She headed across the stage to where he was being coerced into singing for the whole damn village. Her eye began twinkling as she changed direction. She went to the microphone and told the manager to make it live. He nodded and flipped a switch.

"Hello people. I understand you came to hear the song that won at the festival last night." The gathering thundered with applause. "Well, seeing as how the performer that won that award wasn't asked if he wanted to do this and I know he hadn't planned on it, as singing isn't his first line of work, I have a deal to offer first. Naruto get up here, please. Wata, where are you? Come to the stage. And finally I will have my council members who thought they could trick him out of his award come forward. I know who you are, Councilmen, so don't be shy now. If you aren't too shy to plot behind my back don't be cowardly now. Get up here on your honor." She couldn't help but leak a little of her anger out.

Sasuke handed Naruto his guitar and whispered, "Trust her. She'll do what's right by you."

Naruto said nothing but he walked towards Tsunade with his head held high and looking her straight in the eye. She understood the look to mean _you have one more chance. Don't blow it._

The council members were a little slower in getting to the stage than Watarimono was but eventually they were all there. The three councilmen who'd judged the contest the night before understood politics but they didn't know why they'd been brought onto the stage now. They weren't the charlatans who'd fraudulently won an award that they shouldn't have for a song they never should have sang claiming a relationship they never had.

Once she had her game pieces on the stage Tsunade began playing the game she was better at than any of them realized. The game of manipulation. "Ok. Since Naruto was never asked if he wanted to sing for you people I'll ask him now." She turned to face him. "Naruto, keeping in mind that you are still bound by your given word, do you wish to sing for this crowd of your fellow villagers today?" She turned the mic to him as he thought about what she was asking of him. "I don't know. What do I get out of it? All they've ever given me is a hard time, bruises and broken bones, high prices and broken or shoddy made goods no one else will buy and a burnt out home. Would you sing for them when you have no place to live any more because of them?"

Tsunade turned the mic back to herself and said, "Well, Wata, would you?" She turned the mic in her direction. Watarimono shook her head. On the stage Tsunade said, "speak into the microphone Wata. The people at the back of this crowd can't hear or see your head move. Besides we got him into this. We need to get him out."

Watarimono leaned into the mic and said, "No, I wouldn't. I was walking around the village and listening to what you all were saying when you thought no one on his side was listening. I wouldn't do a damn thing you wanted me to. Most of you are here because you want to discover who really wrote and sang that song. You believe the song but you don't believe the singer. How sad."

The audience shuffled their feet and grumbled but they couldn't deny what they heard. That was why most of them had come. They did want to see the boy exposed as a fraud.

Tsunade said , "So, Councilmen. How bout it? What does Naruto get if he sings again and there is no doubt it was his voice last night?" The three councilmen stood there for a moment. "He'll get to keep his award if he can honestly prove it was actually him singing and he tells us who wrote that song."

"Not good enough. He already won the award fair and square. His performance brought the house down and I looked over the rules very thoroughly. Even if, and I'm not saying he did, but even if he had gotten someone else to sing for him there was nothing in the rules that said he couldn't. All that was required was that he had a musical act to perform. So what else will you offer other than an award that's already his?"

The audience snickered while they waited. Finally Hiashi stepped forward raising his hand to be acknowledged. Tsunade motioned for him to step forward and knelt down to hear what he had to say. He took the microphone from her and hopped up on the stage. He said, "I purpose that since they have nothing to offer young Naruto to induce him to sing for us again, that if he does prove that it was indeed his voice, His True Voice that we all heard last night, that these three councilmen will resign their seats on the council effective immediately." Hiashi handed the microphone over to Tsunade and went to have a quiet word with Naruto. "Use your real voice and do what you must. Getting them off the council is truly in your best interest both now and in the future. Besides my daughters are listening. Give Hanabi a reason to believe in her big sister." He turned and addressed the council. "I'd advise you to accept the terms. If he accepts and fails the test then you win and he gets branded as a fake and a fraud but if he accepts and he wins then you resign and leave your seats for younger men to fill."

Tsunade stepped back by Naruto and Watari and said, "The contract between us ends today. I don't care whether Naruto wears a mask anymore so long as he's safe. Safe to walk alone on a street or go out to eat or answer his own front door. If wearing a mask lets you do that Gaki than put it back on but win this showdown first." Watarimono nodded but they could both tell she wasn't pleased.

The councilmen were still arguing with Hiashi over the wisdom of the terms he wanted them to accept and the crowd started chanting. Accept. Accept the deal. Accept. Accept the deal. Accept.

Finally Naruto picked up the microphone. The crowd quieted down. He looked thoughtful for a minute before he said, "You know there are very few of you that I owe anything to. Very few of you have ever had a nice word for me or tried to help me in any way shape or form. In fact, most of you will still try to hurt me in any way you possibly can that won't get you thrown in jail. But if those councilmen accept their part of the deal then I will sing for you but I will not sing "Yondaime". That song is personal and it's between me and him." He pointed to the face on the cliffside. "I'll sing something new and incomplete." He stepped back from the microphone and waited. And he wasn't the only one waiting. Every villager in the town was waiting to see what they would say.

Finally they nodded and Hiashi stuck the microphone where it would pick up all their voices at the same time. "You were loud enough when you were declaring him a fraud, when you pushed in chambers to have him executed for the crime of being alive, when you wanted him held back in the academy lest he get too strong, when you wanted him held back from promotions and assignments that might bring recognition, when you wanted to send him on suicide missions. Be loud enough now to voice your acceptance of your own risk. Or are you really that cowardly?"

Hotaru spoke up, "Hiashi, you speak out of turn. Chamber matters stay in chambers."

Hiashi merely nodded and said, "You're correct but I'm not the one who spilled those chamber secrets am I? You've never been shy with your supporters about your efforts to destroy him so why be shy now?"

Koharu and Homura both spoke as one. "I accept. It is time I retired anyway." This really left Hotaru at a standstill. Though he was younger than they were by five years he was one of the three elders on the council and ever since he'd been appointed to his chair the three of them had been in lockstep on their decisions. Reluctantly he stepped up to the mic and announced his acceptance. Koharu and Homura didn't seem to realize that the way they had worded their acceptance of the deal suggested they already knew he'd won fair and square as they stepped aside. Tsunade took the mic and said, "Well, since the terms have been accepted someone bring him a stool. He can't play standing up you know." This brought a chuckle from the crowd as someone passed a barstool forward. Tsunade placed the microphone back in it's holder and smiled at him, pride in her gaze. Even if she never regained his trust she was proud of him and she wanted him to know it.

"Well, at least there no spotlight blinding me today," he said. The audience chuckled as he propped his leg over the stool and positioned the guitar. He tuned the strings and the crowd quieted down. At first he was tempted to sing his old way but getting rid of those three was worth another assassination attempt so he didn't. He sang in his normal voice and played an upbeat tune that soon had the crowd clapping along to the beat. The song he chose to sing was one he'd started writing after the mission to Wave when he'd met, fought and helped to kill Haku. But he wasn't yet satisfied with it so although it seemed complete to him it wasn't. He'd called it A Reason to Live because for him that's what it was. It was a song he was working on that revolved around the question Haku had asked him. "Do you have someone precious to you that you fight for?"

When the song ended he launched into an old-time favorite that he'd heard many times around the village and had even done Karoke to a couple of times. The audience loved it and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was the real Naruto's voice and the villagers loved it. A few muttered but they were quickly shushed by those who were enjoying what they were hearing. When he finished that song, someone shouted out the name of another and then another until an hour and a half had passed. He was sweating buckets and they were still calling out song titles. His hair was plastered to his head looking more like beaten gold than bright sunshine and his black t-shirt clung to every muscle outlining his firm six-pack. Finally Hiashi and Tsunade both stepped forward. Tsunade grabbed the mic while Hiashi took his guitar in one hand while placing his other on Naruto's shoulder to keep him still.

"That's enough folks. Even professionals get to take a break every once in awhile. But I think that it is perfectly clear that the contest winner last night really was Naruto. What do you say?" She held the mic out towards the crowd. Even his enemies couldn't claim he didn't and the three elders had their cloak of office removed from their hands as they stepped from the stage. Never again would they be involved in a decision effecting anyone living in the Hidden Village of the Leaves.

At the edges of the crowd Jiraiya, Kakashi, Shizune, Ino and Sasuke smiled in relief. Everything would work out. It would take time but now the village had found a way to forget about the demon inside Naruto. They could begin to heal and he could be free to be himself.

At the garbage dump Sakura continued to pick through the mess of garden worthy compost. At first she'd tried touching it as little as possible but had quickly realized that way would take forever. Everything that even remote resembled paper she dried as best she could with chakra but so far all she'd found was decomposing food waste. It was gross and she couldn't help but think that this was a task better suited to someone of Naruto's station than hers. Once more she cursed her luck in ever having been placed on a team with him.

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**Author Note: I did think about having Sakura finally realize the error of her ways but with the way everything tied together in this chapter I really think it was too soon for her to understand. She has months if not years of ego to overcome and that'll take months if not years to set right. Not days. All total, time passage in this story is less than one month and if you know anything about young people you know it would be unrealistic for her to get the message this fast. But now that the Tale of Watarimono is done I hope everyone enjoyed the story and soon I'll be back with another story for you all to enjoy. The True Sword Master is about halfway done and I plan on posting it only when it is finished. Thanks for reading and see you next time. The Mother Rose**


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